Ferrum College - The Ferrum Newsstand

• Over 20 old-time foods, from fried apple pies to black pot chicken.
• Nearly 50 craftspeople, demonstrating hand skills, such as sock doll making and blacksmithing. Many have crafts to sell that are not found on the regular craft circuit.
• More than ten groups scheduled to perform on the three music stages at the festival, offering string band music, gospel, blues, balladry, and early bluegrass throughout the day.
• The Mountain Comforts Quilt Show, in its fourteenth year, presenting 100 of the region’s finest quilts, with special categories for quilts made by children and teenagers.
• Water and treeing races for coon dogs, log skidding and the pulling races for horses.
• Dozens of displays, including vintage cars, street rods, racecars, and antique tractors, show the Blue Ridge’s mechanical history.
• Animals in the petting zoo and old-time games for children.

BLUE RIDGE FOLK LIFE FESTIVAL TURNS 30! Event To Be Held October 25, 2003
For immediate release:		Contact:
September 19, 2003		Lisa J. Bowling, (540) 365-4307, lbowling@ferrum.edu
Travelers from around the country join an annual event to celebrate the heritage and traditions of the Blue Ridge: the Blue Ridge Folk Life Festival. This year the event turns 30 years old, and it will celebrate with some of the most authentic tastes, smells, sounds, and sights of Blue Ridge folkways. The Festival will take place on Saturday, October 25, 2003, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the Ferrum College campus. A selection of this year’s activities and highlights include:
	• Over 20 old-time foods, from fried apple pies to black pot chicken. • Nearly 50 craftspeople, demonstrating hand skills, such as sock doll making and blacksmithing. Many have crafts to sell that are not found on the regular craft circuit. • More than ten groups scheduled to perform on the three music stages at the festival, offering string band music, gospel, blues, balladry, and early bluegrass throughout the day. • The Mountain Comforts Quilt Show, in its fourteenth year, presenting 100 of the region’s finest quilts, with special categories for quilts made by children and teenagers. • Water and treeing races for coon dogs, log skidding and the pulling races for horses. • Dozens of displays, including vintage cars, street rods, racecars, and antique tractors, show the Blue Ridge’s mechanical history. • Animals in the petting zoo and old-time games for children.
“Folkways are a fascinating part of our heritage, and like no other event, we showcase a variety of the old-time traditions that are still a part of Virginia’s rural lifestyle,” said Roddy Moore, director of Ferrum College’s Blue Ridge Institute & Museum, the official State Center for Blue Ridge Folklore. Admission is $7 for adults and $6 for children and senior citizens. For additional information, contact the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum at (540) 365-4416. The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum is located on Route 40, 10 miles west of Rocky Mount, Va. Dedicated to preserving the heritage of and educating people about Blue Ridge culture and traditions, it is also The State Center for Blue Ridge Folklore. # # #