ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605200123
SECTION: DISCOVER PAGE: 8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS-BANKS STAFF WRITER
Festivals, fairs, folks having fun. It all adds up to good times in the New River Valley.
Whether you like bluegrass music and down-home eats or fine art and gourmet feasts, you'll find what you like right under your nose.
So take a deep breath.
When you catch the whiff of spring flowers, you know it's time for the festivals and fairs to begin, and the fun doesn't stop when the frost is on the pumpkin. It goes on and on!
* You can explore the world on the streets of Blacksburg at the International Street Fair. The fair is held the first full weekend in April every year in downtown Blacksburg. It kicks off a whole week of festivities celebrating the rich cultural diversity within the university community.
Sponsored by Virginia Tech's Council of International Student Organizations and the Cranwell International Center, the street festival offers a colorful afternoon of cultural displays, information booths, ethnic foods and games from around the world.
The 1997 fair will be April 5, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For details, call Darlene Grega at 231-6527.
* Coal Miners Heritage Day, an annual celebration honoring Montgomery County coal miners and their families, is in April at the McCoy Community Ballfield west of Blacksburg. April 18 observes the anniversary of a 1946 explosion that killed 12 miners in McCoy.
The celebration features mining exhibits, historical programs and ceremonies. It's also a day when members of the community kick up their heels as they laud their Appalachian culture. Live mountain music, gospel singing, down-home cooking and storytelling are part of the day's activities. For more information, call Jimmie Lee Price at 951-2321.
* The Barter Faire, a semiannual event in Floyd County, is a country-life festival bringing people together to buy, sell and trade. The first faire is in early May and the second each October. In addition to yard sales, crafts and activities for children, there's always lots of good eating.
The event benefits the Blue Mountain School, a parent cooperative school in Floyd County, and the CERC Museletter, a nonprofit community journal published each month. For more information, call Katherine Delauney at 745-2708.
* Summer Arts Festival '96, a joint effort of Virginia Tech and the Town of Blacksburg, begins in late May and continues into the summer. Events include theatrical productions, films, gallery shows and outdoor concerts.
The concerts are held each Friday through July on the lawn at Henderson Hall. Music lovers are encouraged to bring supper and a blanket to spread out under the summer sky for a relaxing evening of picnics and melodies. All concerts are free.
For more information, call Jane Harrison at Virginia Tech, 231-5921.
* The annual Pearisburg Festival Around Town in Giles County is June 15. Bring the whole family to the Pearisburg Community Center at the former King Johnston School for games, live entertainment, arts and crafts booths, an auction, a health awareness fair, a sports card show and plenty of homemade food. Last year's Mayberry Trivia Contest was so popular, it will be back this year, too!
The Pearisburg Business and Community Association puts on the festival each year. For more information, call Toni Curley, 921-1254, or Carol Lavender at 921-2955.
* Looking for a unique Father's Day outing? Check out Wintergreen Farm Museum's Old-Time Farm Festival in Floyd County. The annual event is held on Father's Day weekend and features a draft horse pull, live music, demonstrations, activities for the kids and heaping plates of country food.
Wintergreen Farm is an Appalachian living history museum with a farmhouse, log barn, woodworking shop and craft shop. Authentic 19th century relics are part of the charm of this country farmstead.
The museum is on Virginia 221 two miles south of Floyd. For more information, call Mike Johnson at 745-4420.
* All aboard! Depot Day is the big festival in Pulaski. This year's event runs June 21-23.
Held at the Pulaski Railway Station and Jackson Park in downtown Pulaski, railroad buffs will linger over the memorabilia and exhibits, including genuine Norfolk and Southern passenger and dining cars. This year the Smithsonian Institution's Artrain will be on display with free public tours.
Other attractions include a rubber duck race, a "kid zone," an antique show and sale, a classic car show, crafts, music and food.
The event is put on by the Town of Pulaski with help from several corporate sponsors. For more information, call Keith Stafford or Barry Matherly at the Department of Economic Development, 980-5342.
* Looking for hot fun in the summertime? Look to the New River Valley Fair, the valley's hottest event of the season.
The 1996 fair runs from July 29 through Aug. 3 at the New River Valley Fairgrounds in Dublin. In addition to the All-American Midway with carnival rides and games, the event offers the traditional country fair exhibits. It's also a popular drawing card for some big names in country and western music.
Wade Hayes headlines this year's entertainment lineup. Young artists Ty England and Jeff Carson ("The Car") will perform, too. The fair features a "Bluegrass Night" with the Osborne Brothers and Jim and Jesse, as well as a "Christian Country Night" with Terry Lee Goffee, Lisa Daggs and Ken Holloway.
Special attractions include an antique tractor pull and a horse pull.
For more information, call Bud Walsh at 674-1548, or write c/o The New River Valley Fair, P.O. Box 595, Newbern, Va. 24126.
* The annual Steppin' Out festival in downtown Blacksburg always draws an enthusiastic crowd. This year the activities will take place Aug. 2 and 3 on College Avenue, Jackson Street, Main Street and Draper Road.
Steppin' Out features live entertainment, children's activities, local crafts, art exhibits and gourmet food booths.
The Downtown Merchants of Blacksburg, sponsor of the festival, sells an annual edition of the Steppin' Out T-shirt. The whimsical designs on the shirts are delightfully different each year. Proceeds from the T-shirt sales benefit scholarships and community projects in the downtown area.
For more information, call Mary Riley at Mainstreet Bazaar, 951-4200, or write to the Downtown Merchants of Blacksburg Inc., P.O. Box 233, Blacksburg, Va. 24063.
* The Newport Agricultural Fair celebrates its 61st anniversary this year. The oldest agricultural fair in the state, it's set for Aug. 9 and 10 at the recreation center in Newport, just west of Blacksburg.
The fair features one of the largest flower shows in the area, as well as livestock and produce, baked goods, arts and crafts. Special events include a horse pull and jousting contest.
For details, call Betsy Sarver at 544-7123.
* The place to be Labor Day weekend is at the Claytor Lake Arts and Crafts Festival. The festival is put on each year by the Virginia Mountain Crafts Guild.
This year's festival begins Aug. 31 and goes through Sept. 2. Over 60 exhibitors will display their handmade crafts and demonstrate their skills at this 19th annual event.
Live country music, children's activities and food vendors are part of the three-day festival. It takes place in front of the Howe House at beautiful Claytor Lake State Park in Dublin.
For more information, call Kathy Hudson at 389-6163.
* When the leaves start turning red and gold, it's time for Christiansburg's Wilderness Trail Festival. The Christiansburg-Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the event, has set this year's festival for Sept. 21.
Colorful displays of arts and crafts, the savory aroma of spicy foods and the twang of guitars or thumping of cloggers' boots greet you at this festival. The stage shows feature local dancers and musicians playing bluegrass, country and gospel tunes.
There's a kids' activity area with games, prizes and rides. The petting farm will delight the younger set, too.
Two separate auto shows are part of the festival. Antique cars will be on display, as well as race cars from NASCAR and the New River Valley Speedway.
The Wilderness Trail Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Main, Hickok and College streets in downtown Christiansburg.
Call Kathy Mantz or Von Mills at 382-4251 for additional information.
* Mountain Lake Resort in Giles County is where you'll find the traditional Oktoberfest fun. The lively celebrations are held the last two Saturdays in September and each Friday and Saturday in October.
Oktoberfest features music by the Sauerkraut Band, a German oompah band, and authentic German cuisine prepared by chefs at the resort. Reservations are required and may be made by calling 951-1819.
* The Pembroke Heritage Festival, now in its seventh year, acknowledges the proud mountain heritage of the Giles County town. It will take place on Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fun begins with a parade on Main Street.
Folks from all over come to see the old-timey demonstrations of mountain crafts, cooking, needlework and other skills. The festival also features music handed down through the generations. Local musicians perform tunes composed before 1945.
The event is complete with food, games, crafts, contests and Revolutionary and Confederate re-enactors. Brenda Williams, organizer of the Heritage Festival, can be reached at 626-7772.
* The old world meets the new at Count Pulaskifest, an annual celebration dubbed after the town's namesake, Count Pulaski. This year's festival is Oct. 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Pulaski's Main Street.
The festival will have a local heritage theme honoring the "melting pot" ancestry of Pulaski County citizens. The day features food, crafts, entertainment and presentations.
Keith Stafford and Barry Matherly have the details. Call them at 980-5342.
* The Narrows Business and Professional League puts on the Narrows Fall Festival each year. The seventh annual festival and street fair is set for Oct. 5 in downtown Narrows.
Each year, the organization selects a different theme for the festival.
Traditionally, the festival offers a day of arts, crafts, live music, children's activities, sporting events and foods from local vendors. Call Elizabeth Lucas at 726-3220 for more information.
* The Newbern Fall Festival of Arts and Crafts in Pulaski County is a two-day treat for those who like to shop and those who like to do other things while their partners shop. More than 200 arts and crafts booths filled the village at last year's fete.
Oct. 12 and 13 are the dates to mark on your calendar this year. Along with the treasure hunting, the festival offers live entertainment, carriage rides through the historic village and demonstrations of old-fashioned crafts such as apple-butter making.
The Wilderness Road Regional Museum will be open for tours so you can discover the history of Pulaski County. The museum will have a silent auction, too.
Feasting is recommended at the Newbern festival. You'll find a variety of baked and home-cooked foods, including brown beans and corn bread. The cooks dished out 60 pounds of pintos at last year's event!
Newbern is small, but don't let the size fool you. There's plenty of festival parking and lots to see in the area.
For more information, call Ann Bailey at the Wilderness Road Regional Museum, 674-4835; Irene King, 674-5848; June Quesenberry, 674-5792; or Miller and Marie Farris, 674-8693.
* The YMCA Crafts Fair consistently lures large crowds to Virginia Tech's Squires Student Center. High quality crafts from more than 100 artisans keep people coming year after year. It's happening Nov. 8-10, just in time for holiday shopping.
Of course, it wouldn't be the YMCA Crafts Fair without the food and entertainment. Don't worry - it's there.
For more information, call the YMCA at Virginia Tech, 231-6860.
* When Jack Frost visits the New River Valley, the festival fun moves indoors. The Gallery of Local Artists opens the first weekend after Thanksgiving each year with a celebration that includes live music, refreshments and entertainment.
The gallery, sponsored by the New River Arts Council and First National Bank, features local artists displaying fine art, sculpture, pottery, stained glass and other goodies for holiday giving. Each year, this arts fair is set up at various sites in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg area. It remains open through December.
For more information, call artist Barbara Capps at 382-2397.
LENGTH: Long : 213 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. ALAN KIM/Staff. The weeklong International Streetby CNBFair in Blacksburg is a chance to see the world without leaving
home. It happens every year during the first week in April. color.
2. Wade Hayes plays at the New River Valley Fair in August.