Volunteer for Grandfather Mountain National Trails Day

June 5, Grandfather Mountain, US Hwy 221, Linville North Carolina. Grandfather Mountain will celebrate the 32nd Anniversary of its organized trail program. Volunteers are invited to help with trail maintenance in the Mountain’s backcountry. The backcountry became a North Carolina State Park this past year and volunteer efforts on the trails will be led by Rangers from the North Carolina State Park Service as well as rangers from the Grandfather Mountain travel attraction. 

Blue Ridge Parkway 75 Event: Swannanoa Shindig

June 4   SWANNANOA  North Carolina.    Swannanoa Shindig  Live traditional Appalachian music and square dance caller; craft booths, children’s games, jamming sessions, and other activities honor the heritage of the original Old Farmers’ Ball near Warren Wilson College. Blue Ridge 75 Event, Milepost 377

Kids up to 15 get Free Chimney Rock Park Admission June 5

June 5,  Chimney Rock Park, Chimney Rock North Carolina    National Trails Day  We can’t think of a better reason to celebrate! Join us for complimentary guided hikes with Park specialists every hour from 11AM to 3 PM.

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park has been selected as a site for TRACK Trail programming by Kids in Parks, an initiative to increase the physical activity of children and their families, improve nutritional choices and connect kids to the Blue Ridge Parkway and beyond. On Saturday, June 5 at 11am, TRACK programming for Chimney Rock will be unveiled. The opening ceremony is being held in conjunction with National Trails Day. In celebration of this special day, kids (up to age 15) will receive free admission to Chimney Rock all day

John Mason's Dulcimer Music today and tomorrow at Chimney Rock

May 30 - 31   Chimney Rock Park, Chimney Rock North Carolina.   Hammered Dulcimer Music with John Mason   Chimney Rock's featured entertainer, John Mason, plays the hammered dulcimer. Learn more about this unique instrument and listen to John's beautiful music and funny stories.

Grandfather Mountain's "Top Shop" opens in June

Grandfather Mountain, US 221 and Blue Ridge Parkway, Linville North Carolina. Neither rain nor sleet nor gloom of the 2010 mountain snowstorms stopped Grandfather Mountain's stalwart construction and staff crews from completing their mission! The challenges of the weather may have added to the construction time, but the much anticipated opening of the Top Shop is now scheduled on or before June 12. Read more...

Carl Sandburg Folk Music Festival

May 31, Carol Sanburg Home, 81 Carl Sandburg Lane, Flat Rock North Carolina. Carl Sandburg Folk Music Festival - A free annual event to honor Carl Sandburg's contribution to America's written history through his collection of folk music found in The American Songbag. The festival features folk musicians from around the country. Held at the park's amphitheater.

10am - Amy Burritt - blues and folk on acoustic guitar
11am - Pat Corn - acoustic finger style guitar
12pm - Jon Shain - Piedmont blues on acoustic guitar
1pm - Buddy Davis Band - Sandburg's Songbag on guitar, bass and mandolin
2pm - Boogertown Gap Band - old time mountain music on guitar, fiddle and banjo
11am - 3pm - Steve Smith, hammered dulcimer at the barn

Blue Ridge Parkway 75 Event: Fading Voices

May 29, 11AM - 3PM, Snowbird Community, Little Snowbird Church Playground, Robbinsville North Carolina.  A celebration of traditional ways of the Snowbird Cherokees.  Activities include The Sacred Mountain Ceremony, Cherokee Hymn Singing, games i.e. stickball, fish game, and traditional dancing, story telling and Cherokee Language.  Demonstrations include beadwork, pottery, quilting, wood carving, coffin building, shingle making, flute making.  Crafts include baskets, beadwork, wood carved items.  Handmade craft items and traditional Cherokee food dishes available for sale. 828-479-8201   info@grahamcountytravel.com   http://www.grahamcountytravel.com

Blue Ridge Parkway 75 Event: Brevard's 4th Friday Gallery Walks

May 28, 5PM - 9PM, Downtown Brevard North Carolina. Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 410. Every 4th Friday from April to November and the third Friday in December enjoy an evening stroll in downtown Brevard visiting 10 art galleries featuring local and regional artists, 16 animal sculptures, and 5 murals plus art stores, retail stores, and restaurants that are open until 9 PM. A brochure for the gallery walks can be found at any of the participating galleries or at the Brevard Chamber of Commerce. For more information call TC Arts Council at 828.884.2787 or go to http://www.artsofbrevard.org and click on Art Tours.

100 Mile Ride: Assault on Mt. Mitchell and Marion

May 24 Marion North Carolina Assault on Mt. Mitchell and Marion Beginning in Spartanburg, SC, and ending at Mt. Mitchell, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Assault is just over 100 miles with the route
through Marion beginning on Sugar Hill Road and ending on NC 80.