Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 9, 1993 TAG: 9305100345
SECTION: DISCOVER PAGE: 60 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JOANNE ANDERSON NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Whimsical crafts and traditional arts are demonstrated and sold, children's contests are held and historical events are honored and re-enacted. The towns and arveas come to life in celebration of the past and present. Join 'em and let the good times roll at these festivals and fairs.
\ Chateau Morrisette Jazz Festivals take place monthly, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. throughout the summer. They feature live music, wine tasting, winery tours and food venvdors outdoors in a pastoral setting off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Floyd. $10 per person over age 21 includes music, winery tour, wine glass and tasting. For details, call 593-2865.
The Blacksburg/Virginia Tech Summer Art Festival Concerts take place each Friday evening in June and July on the lawn at Henderson Hall. Admission is free. Some folks bring supper, snacks, kids, grandparents, chairs and trusty old quilts for reclining and relaxing in the music filled, summer night air.
\ Montgomery County Historic Festival, June 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Smithfield Plantation in Blacksburg will be providing an authentic view of life in the 18th and 19th centuries.
This year's celebration will feature on-site craftsmen at work. Some of them will be demonstrating caning, quilting, weaving, basketry and blacksmithing techniques.
The Long Way Home troupe will re-enact a local massacre, and the Smithfield Militia Company is preparing a Civil War re-enactment of local events. Some of the entertainment for this year's festival include a puppet show and music by Mountain Magic, Woody and Marcia McKenzie and The Trillium music groups.
Admission to the festival includes a tour of the Smithfield 18th-century house which was the birthplace of two Virginia governors and home for a third. Master gardeners will be on hand in the herb-and-vegetable garden to answer questions. Admission is $5 for adults and $1 for children.
The Blacksburg Parks and Recreation Department is sponsor for the event. For more information, call Randy Hall at 961-1191.
The Cambria Whistlestop Arts Festival, now in its fifth year, is June 12, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and June 13, 1 to 5 p.m., at the historic Cambria Depot in Christiansburg.
A variety of professional artists will show and sell their art, along with craftsmen selling many original, high quality handcrafted items. There's also live musical entertainment and food concessions presenting an interesting selection.
For more information, call artists Barbara Capps, 382-2397 before 9 a.m. or Cheryl Leweke, 382-1815.
The annual Pearisburg Festival Around Town in Giles County is June 19, but the night before is the time to show up to being the celebration with the Lions Club barbecue and concert on the grounds of King Johnston school, starting around 5:30 p.m. Entertainment will start at 7 p.m.
Traditionally, Festival Around Town starts with a five-kilometer footrace. There's also a one-mile "fun run" for children, a 44-mile bike ride around Mountain Lake, an all-day softball game and a variety of activities for all ages.
Of course, you'll find arts and crafts booths, homemade foods, games and live entertainment, along with clogging and square dancing demonstrations and contests.
A dance for teens will be held at the Pearisburg tennis courts on Wenonah Avenue. An art exhibit and sale will promote a variety of works by regional artists.
The festival is sponsored by the Pearisburg Business and Community Association and community volunteers. To find out more about the events, call Donna Johnston, 921-2335; Marilyn Lisman, 921-1257; or Eric Zimmerman, 921-2642.
\ Chautauqua Festival in the Park is a nine-day event in Wytheville, June 19-27. Elizabeth Brown Memorial Park is filled with arts and crafts booths, a diversity of foods, quilt exhibits and children's events. Historical tours in the area are conducted, and music fills the air. Call 228-3211 for more information.
\ Radford Riverfest will be held July 17 at Bisset Park in Radford. A hot barbecue-cooking contest and a cool raft race on the New River are part of the fun.
Sponsored by the Radford Chamber of Commerce, the "Great Raft Race" is the highlight of the day. Other activities include the American Cancer Society's "Duck Race" (involving hundreds of rubber duckies) and the "Great American Outdoor Barbecue" put on by Main Street Radford.
The fifth annual event also features a crafts show and live music throughout the day. Games and sporting events will be going on at the park which has a public swimming pool, a jogging trail, picnic areas and playgrounds.
For more information, call the Radford Chamber of Commerce at 639-2202.
The annual Steppin' Out festival, always popular in downtown Blacksburg, has been expanded to three days this year, Aug. 5, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Aug. 6 and 7, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., on College Avenue, Jackson Street and a portion of Draper Road.
Steppin' Out is starting one day early this year for guests attending the Family Motor Coach Association's 30th Summer Convention. About 12,000 visitors are expected Aug. 3-5 in Blacksburg for the event called "Roads through the Blue Ridge."
Steppin' Out features live entertainment, children's activities, local crafts and exotic food booths. The Downtown Merchants of Blacksburg sponsor of the festival and sell an annual edition of the Steppin' Out T-shirt. Some of the proceeds from sales benefit downtown renovation projects.
For more information, call Mary Riley at 951-4200.
The New River Valley Fair is definitely the hottest event of the summer. The 1993 fair will be Aug. 2-7 at the New River Valley Fairgrounds on Virginia 100 in Dublin.
In addition to the carnival rides and traditional exhibits of agriculture, flowers and crafts, the fair hosts popular names in country-and-Western music. This year's music bands include Tracy Lawrence, Six Shooters, Pirates of the Mississippi, Alison Krauss and John Conlee.
Other attractions for the weeklong fair are the horse pull, ever-popular demolition derby and the Royal Palace Circus, which will perform twice each day.
For more information, call write P.O. Box 595, Newbern 24126 or call 674-1548.
The Newport Agricultural Fair, the oldest agricultural fair in the state, will be held on Aug. 28. A real down-home celebration of livestock, baked goodies, arts and crafts and harvest produce, the fair conducts the traditional horse pull and a jousting contest. It all takes place at the recreation center in Newport, just west of Blacksburg. For more information, call 544-7469.
The Wilderness Trail Festival, Christiansburg's annual event as the leaves begin their color guard and mornings become a little crispier. The festival, sponsored by the Christiansburg-Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, is slated for Sept. 18.
Arts and crafts exhibitors, food vendors, a "Kiddy Karnival" and lots of live entertainment are some of the crowd pleasers. Several blocks on Main and Hickok streets will be closed off for the celebration.
For more information call Kathy Mantz, Chamber of Commerce director, at 382-4251.
\ Septemberfest in Radford begins with a community social on Sept. 10. An evening of wine tasting, food sampling and live jazz music is on tap. Restaurants provide the goodies.
The festival continues Sept. 11 with activities all day on Norwood Street in the center of the city. Highlights include carnival games, a miniature golf tournament, a radio-controlled car race and live music with a variety of popular bands and solo acts.
Special activities for children are planned by members of Radford's Council for Community Enrichment.
Sale tables will be set up along Norwood Street and food vendors will have plenty of good things to eat.
Main Street Radford plans the Septemberfest celebration. Call Bud Jeffries at 731-3656 for information.
The Pembroke Heritage Festival, celebrating the mountain heritage of the Giles County town, takes place Sept. 18. This will be the fifth year of setting aside a special day to return to a slower pace of yesteryear while enjoying old-fashioned foods, craft demonstrations, games and contests.
Pre-1900-style music and dancing will be presented, along with storytellers of Appalachian folk tales. For more information, call Lee Allen, 626-3689.
\ Count Pulaskifest will be held Oct. 2 in downtown Pulaski. The annual festival celebrates the heritage of Pulaski County.
This year's celebration features a parade, historic displays and artistic presentations by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley along with youth activities, live entertainment and crafts.
Interesting foods are sold at booths set up by participating organizations. Polish sausages are the specialty at this festival.
The event is sponsored by the Count Pulaski Celebration Committee. For more information, call David Hart at the town offices, 980-1000.
\ Newbern Fall Festival of Arts and Crafts is a highlight in historic Newbern in Pulaski County, although it is an interesting place to visit any time of the year. This year's festival will be Oct. 8-10.
Children's carnival rides, hot-air balloons and stagecoach rides through the village are a few of the attractions. In addition, you'll find live entertainment, displays and demonstrations of old-fashioned crafts such as apple butter making.
While you're there, you may tour the Wilderness Road Regional Museum and discover the history of Pulaski County.
Eating is a requirement at the Newbern festival. A variety of baked goods and home-cooked foods, including brown beans and corn bread, are available. Cooks have served more than 40 pounds of pinto beans during the festival!
Newbern is reached from Interstate 81, exit 98; follow the signs. For more information, call Ann Bailey, 382-2298, or Daisy Williams, 674-5888. Throughout October, lively Oktoberfest celebrations are held at Mountain Lake Resort. For details, call 951-1806.
by CNB