Highland County’s annual Hands & Harvest Festival returns with county-wide fall fun during the weekend of Oct. 11-13, where everyone is invited to celebrate the traditions, harvest and crafts found in the cozy mountains of this rural community.
Free entertainment will be available for all ages. A Square Dance with popular local band, Mountain Air, will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Friday at the Laurel Fork Sapsuckers Sugar Camp. On Saturday, there will be live bluegrass music throughout the day at Southernmost Maple’s Sugar Camp. Award-winning storyteller and actress, Barb Lawson, will entertain audiences young and old at the Highland County Library at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Between those shows, festival attendees can catch a performance by The Little Switzerland Cloggers in front of the library around 1:00 p.m to experience one of the oldest clogging groups in the state. Saturday’s entertainment is capped off with a free show that includes free Big Fish Cider in honor of Mary Hille McCoy and Elizabeth P. McCoy, featuring The Original Rhondels at The Highland Center at 7:00 p.m. From Virginia Beach, The Original Rhondels are a music tradition who have performed their hit recordings like “May I”, “I’ve Been Hurt”, and “What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am” in almost every major city in the United States.
Throughout the weekend, an expanded self-guided Harvest Trail will take visitors to their choosing of 18 unique destinations in Highland County. From farms to a fire tower, people can experience the sights and tastes of the season while viewing the beautiful countryside of fall colors. Participants are invited to take part in traditional fall staples of the trail like cider pressing, stirring apple butter or picking pumpkins, or they can try something new like forest bathing, learning about microgreens, or petting miniature horses. Food, crafts, and even experiences with the county’s maple sugar camps abound, including an exclusive opening of one sugar camp to the public on Saturday that is not open for viewing during the county’s popular Maple Festival. Maps and detailed information are available at local stores and online at www.highlandcounty.org.
An Arts and Crafts Vendor Market on the Monterey Courthouse lawn on Friday and Saturday provides one-of-a-kind items to get an early start on holiday shopping. For foodies, the Friday Highland Farmers’ Market at the Highland Center and specialty fall-themed menus at local restaurants are sure to please, with choices like pumpkin pancakes, maple BBQ ribs, pumpkin alfredo, boiled hanovers and more.
The Blue Grass Ruritans’ Annual Rod Run and Car Show with a county-wide parade of cars, The Highland County Humane Society’s Family Fun Day with free activities for children and a rabies and microchip clinic for pets, Little Big Dog Rescue’s sweater sale and the Highland County Library’s annual used book sale round out the activities.
More details on all the festival happenings can be found at https://highlandcounty.org/events/hands-harvest-festival/.
The Highland County Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)(6) membership nonprofit organization with a mission to lift up local businesses and entrepreneurs, promote Highland County, and champion economic prosperity and quality of life. For more information, please visit www.highlandcounty.org.
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