Horn in the West 2012

Celebrate your history at the Boone Heritage Festival

The beautiful 35-acre Daniel Boone Park is the setting of the Boone Heritage Festival. This festival is a celebration of Appalachian history and heritage through traditional music, dance, and storytelling as well as crafts, food, and kids’ hands-on activities at the Hickory Ridge Living History Museum.

Always the 2nd Saturday of October, the Boone Heritage Festival is October 13th this year from 9 am - 4 pm. Festival-goers can choose from a variety of activities which feature dozens of vendors, kids’ make-and-take crafts, a mock archaeological dig, a Liar’s Bench, music jam sessions (bring your instruments!), a flatfoot dance showcase and workshop, 18th century living history demonstrations, and live music and storytelling performances by some of the most talented in the southern Appalachian region.

The festival is also an opportunity to learn more about preserving the heritage of our beautiful Appalachian mountains with lessons on land and water conservation, birds of the High Country, and gardening with native plants. Visitors will also have a chance to document their ancestors of the Revolutionary War. In addition, author Randell Jones will be available to discuss his research and books about Daniel Boone.

The Boone Heritage Festival offers fall festival-goers a fun day to enjoy all facets of the Daniel Boone Park, including the Hickory Ridge Living History Museum, Daniel Boone Native Gardens, the Farmer’s Market, the Boone Jaycee playground and picnic area, and the Strawberry Hill Arboretum.

Admission is free, but some children’s crafts require a small fee. For vendor applications and further information, visit www.booneheritagefestival.com, or call the Southern Appalachian Historical Association at 828-264-2120.

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Watch history unfold at “Horn in the West”

“Horn in the West,” the nation’s longest-running Revolutionary War outdoor drama, is now open for its 61^st consecutive season. Watch as the show pays tribute to the men and women who were momentous in founding this great nation.

The drama tells the rich story of Daniel Boone and fellow pioneers in their effort to settle the backcountry during the Revolutionary War era. Witness the interaction of the Cherokee Nation as depicted through the characters of Nancy Ward and Chief Attakullakulla. Meet Dr. Geoffrey Stuart, a prominent British physician in search of a cure for the devastating disease, smallpox. Sense his internal conflict over remaining a British Loyalist versus helping his new mountain friends and saving his son. Boone, along with the reform-minded Regulators, takes the audience on a journey filled with song, dance, romance, conflict, and twists of events that will have viewers on the edge of their seat.

Guests may also enjoy an all-you-can-eat “Dinner with Dan’l” catered on the grounds by Dan’l Boone Inn before the show from 6:30-7:30 p.m. any Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. This home-cooked dinner, served on site in a dining shelter, includes fried chicken, country ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, stewed apples, homemade biscuits, strawberry shortcake for dessert, and a choice between iced tea and water. Dinner spaces are limited and reservations must be made early to guarantee a spot.

The public will enjoy a visit to Hickory Ridge Living History Museum, offering a glimpse of Appalachian life during the 1700s. Interpreters clothed in authentic styles demonstrate what life was like in the 18^th century. Guests are able to walk through the historic log cabins and watch early mountain settlers in their daily routines as they perform hearthside cooking, weaving, blacksmithing, and other typical tasks. The museum operates through donations and is open from 5:30 – 8 p.m. before the show as well as every Saturday from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. during the adjacent Farmer’s Market.

Hickory Ridge will celebrate Independence Day with the “Burning of the Effigy of King George.” During this historic celebration, everyone gathers for the hanging of the effigy, a stuffed representation of King George. Thirteen selected audience members receive a written toast to read at designated times during the ceremony. The final toast is followed by a reading of the Declaration of Independence, the burning of the effigy, and choral singing. Admission is by donation. Because the 4^th of July falls on a Wednesday, two burnings are scheduled this season on Wednesday, July 4^th and Saturday, July 7^th at 6:30 p.m. before the start of the drama.

Southern Appalachian Historical Association also invites everyone for the popular annual children’s show, which will be a production of “Alice in Wonderland” this year. This play relies on audience participation and children are encouraged to play a part in the show. “Alice in Wonderland” runs for five Saturdays this season starting at 10:30 a.m. each day on July 7, 14, 21, 28, and August 4. Tickets can be purchased at the gate and are $7 for adults and $5 for children. An adult with a party of five or more children will enjoy free admission to the show.

Showgoers will enjoy the museum gift shop offering gifts and souvenirs such as local handmade crafts, Indian necklaces, historical documents, arrowheads, Indian headdresses, coonskin caps, t-shirts, toys, and much more. This is a great opportunity for children and adults alike to walk away with a piece of Appalachian history.

Become a supporter of “Horn in the West” and Hickory Ridge, and help preserve American history. Memberships of Southern Appalachian Historical Association are available, and include two tickets to any show during the 2012 season, plus several newsletters a year. Tickets for the drama are $18 for adults and $9 for children ages 12 and under. For more information about “Horn in the West” and Hickory Ridge Living History Museum, visit www.horninthewest.com or call 828-264-2120.