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Sylva’s downtown spring celebration to be April 30
By Lynn Hotaling
Downtown Sylva is gearing up for its eighth-annual street fair. Greening Up the Mountains, Main Street’s free, all-day festival, is set for Saturday, April 30.
Sponsored by Sylva Partners in Renewal and Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, the annual event welcomes spring through a unique blend of music, heritage, crafts, food and contests.
The festival draws its name from the way spring comes to the Western North Carolina hills, with the new season’s green starting in the valleys and slowly creeping up the mountainsides. The event is reminiscent of a county fair, organizers say.
According to coordinator Tony Camblor and SPIR administrator Linda Gillman, this year’s Main Street midway will boast more booths than ever before, with a new section running east all the way to Dodie’s Auctions.
As in years past, highlights will include a parade on Main Street, well-known regional musicians, vendors with wares of all types for sale, demonstrations of heritage crafts, a selection of tasty treats and a large variety of children’s activities, including the Blackrock Outdoor Co. climbing wall, pony rides, face painting and a talent contest.
“This festival is special in that it brings people together for a day of community, fellowship and entertainment,” said Sylva Manager Richard McHargue.
The all-day event, which is SPIR’s invitation to the community to come downtown and celebrate spring with their neighbors, is featured this month on “Our State,” on UNC-TV. The episode is scheduled to air next at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 28.
Parade of Many Colors
Greening Up opens at 10 a.m. with the Parade of Many Colors, sponsored by Catch the Spirit. This year’s theme is “The Dance of Spring.” Participants will line up at 9 a.m. on Railroad Avenue next to LifeWay Church and follow the same route as last year: east on Mill Street, around the former Meatball’s and west on Main toward the old Courthouse.
This year’s grand marshals will be Western Carolina University’s Lady Catamounts basketball team, the Southern Conference champions. Also marching in the parade will be Smoky Mountain High School’s national-champion cheerleading squad, elected officials, and other local dignitaries. Numerous area schoolchildren will join the parade as well.
Greening Up 5K Road Race
While the parade marks the festival’s official start, the fourth-annual Greening Up the Mountains 5K Road Race is actually the first event. Late registration for the race will begin at 7 a.m. at Mark Watson Park, and runners will depart an hour later from the same spot.
This year’s race route has been altered slightly from last year, but will still feature the challenging Savannah Drive climb.
Race registration materials are available locally at the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, Jackson County Recreation Center and Blackrock Outdoor Co. More information about the Greening Up 5K is available online at www.gloryhoundevents.com.
Music, music, music
Entertainment begins at 10 a.m. on both festival stages – Founders’ Stage, which will be located by The Sylva Herald office, and the Main Stage, which will be at the west end near the Courthouse.
Matt Stillwell will kick off the Main Stage music, followed by Ashley Chambliss and Chris Cooper at 10:40 a.m., Marshall Ballew and Friends at 11:20 a.m., the Moolah Temple String Band at 12:15 p.m., Commonfolk at 1:10 p.m., and the Wild Hog Band at 2:10 p.m. Headliner David Childers and the Modern Don Juans will take the stage at 3:30 p.m. to close out the festival.
Music on the Founders’ Stage will showcase the talent of area youth from 10:30 until 1 p.m. during Catch the Spirit’s talent contest. Amanda (Dills) Stewart of Cullowhee’s Fiddling Dills Sisters will emcee the event, and judges will be Sara White, Natasha Wilson, Gayle Woody and Melissa Rohr.
Starting at 1 p.m., Robert Jumper will emcee a heritage show that will last until 5 p.m. and include the Smoky Mountain High School Concert Band, 18-year-old Josh Bulla of Dillsboro with traditional Scottish bagpipe music, 15-year-old Cherokee hoop dancer Eric Bird, the Cullowhee Valley Cloggers, the Fiddling Dills Sisters with the Cullowhee Valley Boys, and the Queen Family from Caney Fork.
Heritage Walk
This year’s festival will continue past events’ commitment to honor local mountain heritage through demonstrations and presentations that link the area’s past with the present.
Located in the courtyard of Karen’s Restaurant, the area will include a small stage that will host entertainment all day.
Demonstrations will include sewing, cornhusk dolls, caning, spinning, Cherokee pottery and baskets, whittling, quilting and more.
Entries in Catch the Spirit’s traditional heritage contests will also be on display in the Heritage Walk area. Cash prizes will be awarded to winners in baked goods, food preservation and sewing/quilting categories.
For more information about the contests and how to enter them, call Catch the Spirit at 631-4587.
Ducks on the Tuck
Held each year in conjunction with Greening Up the Mountains, Ducks on the Tuck is a major fund-raiser for the New Century Scholars program. Area residents can adopt a duck for $5 and then watch their little quacker race (float) down the Tuckaseigee River during the 3 p.m. event.
The finish line will be at Western Builders in Dillsboro, but duck sponsors do not have to be present to win numerous prizes including boy’s and girl’s bicycles, artwork, and merchandise certificates donated by area businesses.
Ducks are available for adoption at all county public schools including Summit Charter in Cashiers.
Tree City, special events
A special festival event this year will be the noon Arbor Day eremony at the SPIR booth, which will be the gazebo in the CCB parking lot. Congressman Charles Taylor (R-NC), Sylva Mayor Brenda Oliver and members of Sylva’s town board will accept a certificate from Jackson County’s Forest Ranger. The proclamation will name Sylva as a Tree City USA.
The SPIR booth will also host special performances at 10 a.m. (SMHS Steel Drum Band) and 2 p.m. (SMHS Jazz Band). SPIR will collect donations throughout the day for its community pavilion project and sell memorial pavers to be used in the Mill Street renovation project.
Children’s activities
Greening Up the Mountain is famous for its variety of children’s activities, and this year will be no exception, said festival coordinator Camblor.
At the rear of the CCB lot will be pony rides.There be talent contests for children at the Founders’ Stage. New Century Scholars and Ducks on the Tuck will provide games and activities for children. Large, inflatable children’s amusements will be available at First Baptist Church. Also featured again this year is a chainsaw carver, who will demonstrate his craft over by the bear statues located next to town’s Railroad Avenue parking lot.
Information
For more information about the festival, call Linda Gillman at 586-1577.
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