The peak blooming time for the Catawba rhododendron blossoms atop 6,200-foot tall Roan Mountain has always been the clock and calendar which determines when the Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival is held. It will be held on June 21-22 this year at Roan Mountain State Park.
The peak blooming time for the Catawba rhododendron blossoms atop 6,200-foot tall Roan Mountain has always been the clock and calendar which determines when the Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival is held. It will be held on June 21-22 this year at Roan Mountain State Park.
ROAN MOUNTAIN — Carter County’s oldest festival, the Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival, will take place on June 21 and 22 this year in Roan Mountain State Park. The festival celebrates the Catawba rhododendron, which blooms in profusion in the highest mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia.
Since its beginning 78 years ago, the Roan Mountain Citizens Club has put on the festival. In its early days, the festival was held on top of Roan Mountain, and the event has always been held around the third weekend of June. That is when the rhododendron reach their maximum blooms of the huge, magenta blossoms at the high elevations. Many years ago, the festival was moved to the state park, which is several thousand feet lower in elevation. Visitors who would like to see the beauty of the rhododendrons in full bloom can make the quick trip up to Carver’s Gap to get a glimpse of the blossoms that weekend.
The festival always features plenty of music. Sheena Jenkins is in charge of the entertainment portion of the festival. She said the groups will be performing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Jenkins said the music will have a lot of bluegrass “and a little bit of everything†on Saturday. She said the Sunday performances will feature gospel music.
Jenkins said the bands on Saturday will include Stemwinder, JP Mathes, Ryder Casey, and the Trailblazer Cloggers. Sunday’s acts include the Happy Way Quartet, Rock Creek Ramblers, and Greater Glory.
In addition to all the free music, Jenkins said there will be food trucks with a variety of options. The festival has always been known for its s handmade crafts and an array of old-time folkway demonstrations.
Jenkins said there are some new vendors this year. There will be over 100 arts and crafts vendors, but the arts and crafts sold must have been handcrafted by the vendor. Kit work does not qualify as “handcraftedâ€. The Roan Mountain Citizen Club inspectors will make sure that vendors are following the strict rules on authentic of the crafts.
The Citizens Club has long contributed proceeds from the festivals towards scholarships for some of the graduates of Cloudand High School.
