Last Updated on September 10, 2024 1:54 pm
VALLE CRUCIS, NC — Saturday, October 19 marks the 46th consecutive year that Holy Cross Episcopal Church and the Valle Crucis Conference Center have invited the public to join them in the heart of one of the most ethereal valleys in Western North Carolina for their annual fall festival, the Valle Country Fair. Harvest flavors of Brunswick Stew, Western NC barbecue, homemade apple butter, and hundreds of cakes, pies and breads are served up in this elevation of all things homegrown, handmade and local.
Started as a small church bazaar to raise money to build a parish hall, the Valle Country Fair has turned into a major attraction attended by ten thousand people a year. The combination crafts fair, mountain music jam, and harvest festival now raises funds for human service organizations in Ashe, Avery and Watauga Counties, generating more than one million dollars for people in need since the event's founding in 1978.
Always held on the third Saturday in October, the 46th annual Valle Country Fair is happening Saturday, October 19 on the grounds of the Valle Crucis Conference Center on NC Highway 194 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Festivities include crafts, food, children's activities and mountain music. Admission is free and ample parking is available adjacent to the fair for $10 per vehicle.
The Fair takes place in a huge meadow between a picturesque red barn and a field planted with sorghum. The tents of 150 craft exhibitors’ line wide lanes that meander back and forth across the grounds. Bales of hay are stacked in the intersections of these alleys to offer fairgoers a spot to sit as they ponder which craft booths to visit next.
Handmade is the organizing principle behind the arts and crafts items available for sale at the Fair In addition to insuring that all work is made by artists' hands, organizers jury the craft vendors see that there is a wide variety of creative products available to shoppers. Exhibitors selected for the event donate at least ten percent of their proceeds back to the charitable work of the Fair.
Two stages are set up to provide live entertainment throughout the day. The main stage is for homegrown mountain music, while a smaller venue presents story tellers, folk dancing and other children's entertainment.
Guests can feel good about pigging out at the Valle Country Fair because most of the food concessions are operated by the church or other non-profit organizations that dedicate 100 percent of their proceeds to community service. Tables and chairs are provided under a large tent located near the main stage so that fairgoers can enjoy the music while they dine.
Food concessions include Brunswick Stew, barbecue, chili, hot dogs and hamburgers, sausage with onions, ice cream, funnel cakes, baked goods, jams and jellies, fresh-pressed apple cider, and hot-out-of- the kettle apple butter.
Proceeds from the 2023 Valle Country Fair were shared between Amorem, the Children's Council, the Community Care Clinic, The Hearts of Hospitality House, the Hunger & Health Coalition, the Jason Project, Mountain Alliance, Parkway After School Program, Valle Crucis School PTSO and WAMY. The outreach committee at Holy Cross Church distributes all remaining proceeds to help local families.
Media sponsors for VCF 2024 are Curtis Media Group and Mountain Times Publications.
The event is produced by Holy Cross Episcopal Church in cooperation with the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Proceeds are used to provide grants to local non-profit organizations, and relief to local families with emergency needs. For more information, contact Holy Cross Church at (828) 963-4609 or visit the Fair on the Web at www.vallecountryfair.org.
Harvest flavors like roasted corn are the reason the Valle Country Fair is known as the festival where Homegrown and Handmade Meet! (Photo by Bill Barbour)
Anissa Burnett (fiddle) and Kathleen Burnett Ray (guitar) are dedicated to preserving the musical history of Appalachia. (Photo by Bill Barbour)
L-R: Bill Welch and John Goodrich put all their strength into turning the wheel on the cider press to be certain to squeeze all the liquid out of the thousands of apples they put through the 40s-era cider press on Fair day. (Bill Barbour photo)
All work offered for sale by Valle Country Fair exhibitors must be original in design, form, and concept, and it must be handcrafted and/or artistically created by the exhibitor. Fairgoers find all sorts of items that only these creative crafters would ever have imagined! (Bob Griffin photo)
