On May 3 the town of Walnut Cove will celebrate its 125th anniversary with a day long festival in the downtown area.
Organizers have lined up a wide variety of entertainment and historical events for the day.
For the historically minded, Fowler Park and the Walnut Cove Public Library will be the center of attention with demonstrations planned throughout the day and three special showings of a movie filmed in Walnut Cove in the 1940s.
Organizer Kim Ferrell said demonstrations would range from blacksmithing and leather tanning to woodcrafting, quilting, pottery, spinning and chair caning.
“The blacksmith, Kieth Roberts, works with the blacksmith at the Dixie Classic Fair and is very informative,” said Farrell. “He talks to you about what he is doing.”
Several of the crafters will also be selling items they make during the day.
Farrell said the heritage area of the festival will also feature a sheep shearing demonstration.
“They don’t just get in there and sheer the sheep,” she said. “They tell you what kind of sheep it is, what kind of wool it produces and what it can be used for.”
There will also be story telling and live music. Steve and Olivia Shelton, of Mt. Airy, will be performing traditional music on dulcimers, banjos and other instruments at 1 p.m.
Farrell said there will also be living history reenactors form both the American Revolution and the Civil War showing what life in a war camp might have been like.
Inside the library, visitors will be treated to three viewings, at 10:30 a.m., noon and 1:30 p.m., of a special movie filmed in the town in the 40s.
“We have a photographer who has edited it and gotten with about six different residents who have lived in Walnut Cove for a long time,” said Farrell. “They are included int he movie remembering what was here in the 40s and who these people are who are in the movie.”
She said the original footage in the movie focuses on downtown Walnut Cove but also includes clips from Danbury and Pine Hall as well as some from area farms.
“They film people out on the farms and cornshucking and that kind of thing,” said Farrell.
In addition to the historical demonstrations the celebration will feature a kids area with a bounce house a wide variety of games.
“We will have sack races, a ball toss, a basketball shooting contest, a football throw, a photo booth, and face painting,” Farrell said. “The Wildcats will be there selling tenderloins and ham sandwiches in the morning then switching over to sell hot dogs and snow cones. They will also be selling Wildcat merchandise and will have registrations for the upcoming season as well.”
The kids area will be located in the vacant lot where the Dodson Hotel used to be.
At the Well House, Leslie Bray-Brewster and Kyle Berrier will be presenting talks on the history of the town dating back to the 1700s and Berrier will be signing copies of his new book “Images of America: Around Walnut Cove and Danbury.”
If you like music, then the anniversary celebration does not disappoint.
Four bands are set to play during the day downtown offering everything from jazz to southern rock, bluegrass and classic country.
There will also be a stage in Fowler Park featuring Irish step dancing at noon, cloggers at 2 p.m. and contra dancers at 3 p.m.
The event will also feature a cruise in on Fourth Street.
Main Street will remain open during the festival, but many side streets will be closed to provide additional room for activities and vendors.
“We have about 20 or so non-profits that will have booths,” said Farrell. “Then we have vendors offering candy, furniture, antiques, handmade benches, handmade jewelry and accessories, wreathes, everything from primitive to creative to modern.”
The day-long celebration will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Nicholas Elmes may be reached at 336-591-8191 or on Twitter @NicholasElmes.
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