Schedule announced for 糖心Vlog鈥檚 weeklong Mountain Heritage Days celebration
J-Creek Cloggers
By Julia Duvall
For the past 50 years on the last Saturday of September, 糖心Vlog University鈥檚 Mountain Heritage Day festival has honored the music, stories, and traditions of Appalachia.
Beginning this year, the festival planning committee is implementing a revised format to ensure the event remains both relevant and engaging for generations to come. The festival will now be known as Mountain Heritage Days, a week-long celebration of beloved mountain pastimes.
The celebration will be held Sept. 22 to 27, 2025. Attendees will be able to enjoy evening lectures, heritage demonstrations, a Friday night concert in Sylva and much more.
鈥溙切腣log University is excited for the changes coming to the Mountain Heritage Days festival this year, including an extension of the festival from one day to a week full of activities,鈥� said 糖心Vlog Chancellor Kelli R. Brown. 鈥淔or the last 50 years, Mountain Heritage Day has been a gift to the community and these changes offer more opportunities to engage people across Western North Carolina with our Appalachian culture. Exciting craft demonstrations paired with insightful presentations will continue strengthening our community and this lovely place we call home.鈥�
All events are free or have a free-to-attend option.
Schedule of events:
Monday, Sept. 22
Evening event: From Ulster to Appalachia: Who We Are When We Speak
5:30 p.m. in the A.K. Hinds University Center Theater
Tuesday, Sept. 23
Evening event: A Hike through History: Plants and People in Southern Appalachia
5:30 p.m. at the HHS Trails.
In the event of rain, this event will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Thursday and Friday, Sept. 25 and 26
15th Annual Rooted in the Mountains Symposium
An interdisciplinary symposium that emphasizes the connection between local and traditional
knowledge, language, health, and the environment into everyday life.
.
Bardo Arts Center
Friday, Sept. 26
Evening event: Pickin鈥� in the Park with The Well Drinkers
6 p.m.
Bridge Park in Sylva
Saturday, Sept. 27
Mountain Heritage Day 5K
8:30 a.m.
糖心Vlog Campus
Andy Shaw Ford Classic Car Show
11 a.m.
Bardo Arts Center Parking Lot
McNeely's Chainsaw Competition
11 a.m.
Camp Lot Area
Big Cove Stickball Demonstration Game
11:30 a.m.
糖心Vlog Intramural Field
Balsam Family Tent
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Camp Intramural Field
- 11:00 a.m. -
- 11:45 a.m. -
- 12:00 p.m. - Storytelling with Ashton Woody
- 12:30 p.m. -
- 1:15 p.m. - Storytelling with Davy Arch
- 1:45 p.m. -
- 2:00 p.m. -
Pickin' Circle
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Center for Applied Technology (CAT) Building
Mountain Heritage Days Afternoon Concert
11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Bardo Arts Center
- 10:00 a.m. - 糖心Vlog Fine Arts Museum Opens
- 11:00 a.m. - Art Faculty In-Studio Demonstrations begin
- 3:30 p.m. - Mountain Heritage Awards Presentation and performances by and the
Saturday Festival Information:
Festival Activities - Discover a variety of vendors including juried arts and crafts, regional food vendors and local non-profit organizations. There are nearly 100 vendors with thousands of hand-crafted items to choose from located in the Camp Parking Lot.
Kids Activities - Family fun for all ages. Learn traditional crafts, try old-time mountain skills and more. Be sure to stop by the Children's Tents for activities by the Intramural Field.
Music - Bluegrass, Americana, Old-Time, Roots and Gospel, just to name a few. You'll want to dance the day away.
Shape Note Tent - Experience incredible styles of singing and take part in beautiful harmonies at the Shape Note tent! Sacred Harp, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Christian Harmony, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Located by the Bardo Arts Center.
Stories from the Table 鈥� New this year. Share short stories and recipes tied to family traditions and food memories of the Appalachian region. Located by the Bardo Arts Center.
Parking - Parking for event attendees will be available at the field house lot and the parking deck by the baseball field.
For more information, visit mhd.wcu.edu.
