Category: Concerts and Events

Tweetsie Railroad, Fun for All

One of the most popular activities for families to enjoy in the Boone area is the Tweetsie Railroad park! In addition to train rides, it features many different special events throughout the year.

The Tweetsie Railroad has 2 different historic steam engines which you can ride on. Engine No. 12 is a narrow gauge locomotive and was built in 1917.  It is the last surviving steam locomotive of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad. It used to run service from Johnson City, Tennessee to Boone. It ran from 1919 to 1940.

 Engine No. 190 is also a narrow gauge locomotive and was built in 1943. Built by the Alaska’s White Pass & Yukon Railway company, it linked the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. It ran through the 1960s.

One of the special events coming to the Tweetsie Railroad is a K-9 tricks show where rescue dogs will be performing tricks with frisbees. The event runs from July 22-24 and 27-30.

All of this and more can be found at the Tweetsie Railroad in Boone.

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Highland Games on Grandfather Mountain

This July 6-9 is the return of one of the most popular events in the Boone area: the annual Scottish Highland Games! So what are some of the exciting events going on throughout the events going on during the week?

Throughout the week, there will be many games and other athletic activities. These include the caber toss, hammer throw, archery competitions, track and field, and also Highland Dance competitions.

There will be a very wide variety of music during the celebrations as well. Throughout each of the days, music ranging from Rock, Bluegrass, and Celtic music. There also will be multiple music competitions during the week you can watch. For instance, there are Piping, Fiddle, and Celtic Harp tournaments.

Other activities you can find during the event include many Scottish arts and crafts going on for those of all ages. There are also various children’s activities. There’s also whiskey tasting. This and much more can be found at the Highland Games from July 6-9 at Grandfather Mountain.

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MerleFest 2023

With spring right not far away in Boone, that also means the 35th annual MerleFest is right behind as well!

This year, MerleFest will take place from April 27-30. There will be music over 4 days from over 60 different performers! A couple examples of the bands and performers are:

On Thursday, Rock band The Black Crowes. Also playing Thursday is Yasmin Williams who is a finger-style guitarist using a harp guitar.

Friday has some very exciting bands such as the Black Opry Revue and Peter Rowan’s Bluegrass Band.

Saturday’s lineup includes, amongst others, the bluegrass band Della Mae and The Waybacks.

On Sunday, Pete and Joan Wernick entertain with their banjo playing. Also playing is local band Pretty Little Goat.

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Live Music at Sugar Mountain in January

With the skiing season underway, what are some of the events going on at the resorts? At Sugar Mountain they have multiple bands lined up to play music throughout January.

On January 14, the Smokin’ Joe Randolph Band plays at Sugar Mountain from 4pm through 7pm. They play a wide variety of blues, rockabilly, surf, swing, and soul music.

On January 21, the Classic Highway Band visits from 4pm through 6pm. They are a Boone band who specialize in classic rock, blues, and soul music from the 60s-80s.

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Banner Elk and Boone Travel Info for October 15 and 16

This weekend, October 15 and 16, at Banner Elk is the very popular Woolly Worm festival. Also this weekend we have the peak time for viewing the autumn colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the area.

Another event running this weekend in the same area is the Valle Fair at Valle Crucis. Both the fair and the Woolly Worm festival open at 9am both days.

All of these events going on at once means this will be a weekend with very high traffic congestion throughout the area. Most of the roads into and in both Banner Elk and Valle Crucis are only two lane roads so there will be heavy delays throughout as the events are very popular.

So make sure to leave much earlier than you’d expect to need to so as to account for the traffic. Also, bring along a lot of patience to get through the traffic. 

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Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk

It is finally autumn! And with the seasons changing also comes the beautiful autumn colors of the trees as well as woolly worms! And this October 15 and 16 in Banner Elk is the 45th annual woolly worm festival! 

The festival takes place the 3rd weekend of October in downtown Banner Elk and is a very unique festival. Attended annually by about 20,000 people, up to 1,000 people bring their own woolly worms and race them! The winner takes home $1,000 on Saturday and $500 on Sunday.

Of course, in addition to the food, there is great food as well as arts and craft vendors. Many of these are woolly worm themed so are very unique. There also will be great local music and breathtaking views of the mountains to take in!

Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children 6-12 and free for those 5 and under. 

William Kradel Leave a comment on Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Boone, Concerts and Events, Festival, Outdoor Fun