People packed the streets of downtown Bakersville and the Creekwalk on Saturday, Oct. 3 for the first North Carolina Mountaineer Festival.
Attendees were treated to cool, sunny conditions for the free, day-long festival, which event organizers and Southern Ridge Cafe owners John and Harley Masters hope becomes an annual tradition.
Harley and John opened Southern Ridge Cafe in downtown Bakersville in late 2018. During the fall of 2019, the two held an anniversary celebration in downtown to commemorate their first full year in business and thank the community for their support.
Harley Masters said that in 2020, she wanted to offer something even bigger for the community.
“I’m just really excited that there’s an event going on,” Harley Masters said. “We’ve just had so much community support and I appreciate it 110 percent. That’s the whole fuel behind the fire.”
Harley Masters added that the community has helped her small business survive through the ongoing pandemic, which she is very grateful for.
“During COVID, many restaurants have not made it,” she said. “I cannot say thank you enough to the people who have supported me and John through this whole restaurant endeavor. This was a way to give back to the people because I think actions speak louder than words.”
The festival, which ran from around 10 a.m. until the evening hours, celebrated the Mitchell County community and culture through local merchant booths, live music from area artists, activities, live demonstrations and more.
Live musical performers throughout the day included Rock Creek Ramblers, Ages Past, High Mountain Grass, Michelle Leigh, Bandana Rhythm and Wyatt Duvall.
Some participants even tested their own pipes through live karaoke in the Bakersville Pavillion.
Festival activities included a talent show, street dancing, a rock wall, inflatables, a dunking booth and The Mighty Mountaineer Challenge, which tasked contestants with completing a series of physical challenges such as hay pitching and log chopping.
Experts were also on hand to show live demonstrations of wildlife rehabilitation, molasses making, cider making and more.
More than 40 local craft and food vendors set up at the festival selling products ranging from homemade elderberry syrup to clothing and candles and plenty in between.
Festival attendees also got to view a variety of cars which participated in the festival car show. There was no entry fee for vehicles but donations were accepted and all proceeds benefited the Shriners Hospital.
Harley Masters said she solicited community input on several occasions to make sure everyone felt safe holding the festival amid the pandemic.
She said the consensus was that the festival would be OK to continue due to being outdoors and utilizing standard sanitation and distancing practices.
“At the end of the day, this is for the community,” she said. “So, I felt like they should have some sort of buy-in. Overwhelmingly, they said ‘let’s have it.’”
All vendors and booths were spaced out to allow for the maximum amount of social distancing. Volunteers sanitized surfaces and bathrooms regularly and attendees were encouraged to wear a face covering when social distancing was not possible.
Harley Masters said that she was glad to see locals simply relax and enjoy themselves on a cool, pleasant Saturday in Bakersville after the pandemic claimed most of the summer festivals and events that are usually community staples.
“These past seven months, everything we thought was normal is not normal now,” she said. “You’ve got kids who had to go into school with a mask and without their mom and dad. The elderly population that used to go to the Senior Center every day for social interactions have had that stripped from them. At the end of the day, your physical health is equally as important as your mental health.”