Mountain Heritage Days

Mountain Heritage Days Always the last Saturday in September.

An annual festival celebrating our rich southern Appalachian heritage and culture nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina on the campus of Western Carolina University! Mountain Heritage Day is a not-for-profit, one-day FREE festival where approximately 20,000 visitors descend onto the Western Carolina University campus to enjoy multiple stages of live entertainment, over 130 juried arts

and crafts, non-profit and food vendors and tons of family friendly activities to celebrate Appalachian mountain culture.

We are a little more than six months away from Mountain Heritage Days! Thinking about taking a visit up to Cullowhee in ...
03/19/2026

We are a little more than six months away from Mountain Heritage Days! Thinking about taking a visit up to Cullowhee in the fall? Come join us on Saturday, September 26th!

Mountain Heritage Days is now a week-long series of events ending with a free, outdoor festival on Saturday, September 26th where visitors can enjoy unique demonstrators, including live entertainment, juried arts and crafts, a wide variety of food, and tons of family-friendly activities celebrating Appalachian Mountain culture.

More information about this years Mountain Heritage Days will be announced leading up to September. The deadline for vendor applications is Friday, July 31st, 2026.

Click here to apply: https://www.eventeny.com/.../mountain-heritage-days-2026.../

Click here to check out our new Mountain Heritage Days website! Information will be updated periodically: https://www.wcu.edu/engage/mountain-heritage-days/

We are beyond excited to announce that vendor applications for Mountain Heritage Days 2026 are now OPEN!!!Mountain Herit...
02/02/2026

We are beyond excited to announce that vendor applications for Mountain Heritage Days 2026 are now OPEN!!!

Mountain Heritage Days is now a week-long series of events ending with a free, outdoor festival on Saturday, September 26th where visitors can enjoy unique demonstrators, including live entertainment, juried arts and crafts, a wide variety of food, and tons of family-friendly activities celebrating Appalachian Mountain culture.

More information about this years Mountain Heritage Days will be announced leading up to September. The deadline for vendor applications is Friday, July 31st, 2026.

Click here to apply: https://www.eventeny.com/events/mountain-heritage-days-2026-27133/

We hope to see you at Western Carolina University for Mountain Heritage Days! Let the countdown begin!

The past week in Cullowhee was filled with celebrations of the rich Appalachian history at Mountain Heritage Days throug...
09/30/2025

The past week in Cullowhee was filled with celebrations of the rich Appalachian history at Mountain Heritage Days through live music, stories, arts and crafts, food and many more traditions.

We look forward to seeing you all again next year! đŸȘ• đŸŽ”

Mountain Heritage Days 2025 festival is TOMORROW!!! We already have some of our amazing vendors getting setup and ready!...
09/27/2025

Mountain Heritage Days 2025 festival is TOMORROW!!! We already have some of our amazing vendors getting setup and ready!

We absolutely can not wait to see all of our visitors, volunteers, and vendors for an amazing day! 😁

This evening, we had our Pickin’ in the Park with The Well Drinkers in Sylva!As part of Western Carolina University's 20...
09/27/2025

This evening, we had our Pickin’ in the Park with The Well Drinkers in Sylva!

As part of Western Carolina University's 2025 Mountain Heritage Days celebration, Pickin’ in the Park with The Well Drinkers promised an unforgettable evening of music and community. With around 200 attendees that sat against the scenic backdrop of Sylva’s Bridge Park, this outdoor concert featured The Well Drinkers, a progressive original bluegrass band known for their dynamic sound and fresh take on Appalachian traditions. Attendees were encouraged to bring a seat and settle in for a lively performance that blends innovation with heritage, all in the heart of the mountains!

Yesterday, we had our Appalachian Craft Demonstrations at the WCU Catafount! As part of WCU’s 2025 Mountain Heritage Day...
09/25/2025

Yesterday, we had our Appalachian Craft Demonstrations at the WCU Catafount! As part of WCU’s 2025 Mountain Heritage Days, the Appalachian Craft Demonstrations offer a hands-on experience of the region’s rich artistic traditions. Set in the heart of campus, this engaging event showcases skilled artisans practing time-honored techniques. Visitors watched, learned, and connected with the cultural heritage of the Southern Appalachians in a relaxed, open-air setting that celebrates creativity and craftsmanship!

For more information about MHDs events for this week, click on the link here to view the schedule: https://www.wcu.edu/engage/mountain-heritage-day/schedule.aspxe taie ionwhedhe

We were beyond excited to welcome the students from Jackson County Public Schools for the 'Mountain Heritage Field Day a...
09/23/2025

We were beyond excited to welcome the students from Jackson County Public Schools for the 'Mountain Heritage Field Day at WCU'! Regional elementary school classes experienced the traditions of Southern Appalachia through hands-on crafts, cultural demonstrations, and interactions with regional tradition bearers. This free educational event is part of WCU’s expanded Mountain Heritage Days celebration.

For more information about MHDs events for this week, click on the link here to view the schedule: https://www.wcu.edu/.../mountain-heritage-day/schedule.aspx

Mountain Heritage Days 2025 has officially begun!!!From Monday, Sept 22nd to Saturday, Sept 27th, we have a various amou...
09/23/2025

Mountain Heritage Days 2025 has officially begun!!!

From Monday, Sept 22nd to Saturday, Sept 27th, we have a various amount of events on Western Carolina University campus highlighting and celebrating the stories and traditions of the Appalachia!

Last night, there was a public lecture titled "From Ulster to Appalachia: Who We Are When We Speak". This lecture was co-presented by WCU English Studies faculty member Dr. Erin Callahan and her former linguistics student Wyatt Wilson— a fourth-generation WCU graduate! The lecture traces the historical roots of Appalachian English, from early settlement patterns and language contact (including 18th-century Scots-Irish influence) to its distinctive sounds, grammar, and vocabulary. We were so grateful to have them two present this amazing lecture!

For more information about MHDs events for this week, click on the link here to view the schedule: https://www.wcu.edu/engage/mountain-heritage-day/schedule.aspx

Green Energy Park: Glass Blowing (MHD Demonstrator)The Green Energy Park was created in 2006 by Jackson County, North Ca...
09/18/2025

Green Energy Park: Glass Blowing (MHD Demonstrator)

The Green Energy Park was created in 2006 by Jackson County, North Carolina in an effort to simultaneously combat the release of contaminants from the landfill while using the energy to fuel a ground-breaking community art center. The Team: Morgan Kennedy (Project Manager), Kevin McNiff (Studio Technician), Chelsea Miller (Program Assistant), and Timm Muth (Project Founder). Glassblowing is a glass forming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble with the aid of a blowpipe. The Green Energy Park team offers a wide variety of beginner and intermediate classes in glassblowing!

Louise Goings: Basket Weaving (MHD Demonstrator)Louise Goings makes beautiful, sturdy Cherokee white oak baskets. She ga...
09/18/2025

Louise Goings: Basket Weaving (MHD Demonstrator)

Louise Goings makes beautiful, sturdy Cherokee white oak baskets. She gathers her own materials from personally selecting the white oak tree to hand picking the bloodroot, walnut tree leaves, and hulls of nut used to dye her oak splints. She has been a member of the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual since the late 1960s. With her mother, she has demonstrated basketry at the festival of American Folk-Life and at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Her baskets have won prizes at the Cherokee Fall Fair at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, North Carolina Arts Council Folk Heritage Award and elsewhere. She and her husband, Butch Goings were awarded the Mountain Heritage Award in 2022. She is a master basket maker and is the daughter of Emma Taylor, a legendary Cherokee basket maker recognized with a North Carolina Folk Heritage Award in 1989. Emma shared patterns and techniques with Louise, who today works with materials such as maple, river cane and white oak to create some of the region’s most coveted and well-made baskets!

George Edward Goings: Flint Knapping (MHD Demonstrator)The Goings are a very important family in the community of Cherok...
09/18/2025

George Edward Goings: Flint Knapping (MHD Demonstrator)

The Goings are a very important family in the community of Cherokee artists. Louise and Butch Goings instilled in their son, George Edward the value of maintaining culture and tradition and taught him Cherokee crafts, including basket weaving. He learned how to make blowguns and darts, nap arrowheads, and make flutes out of rivercane while working at the Oconaluftee Indian village!

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