The passing of the Rhododendron Festival is another reminder of the vitality of the music and arts and crafts culture in our community. During both the annual Covered Bridge and Rhododendron Festivals, both of which marked milestones this year, STAR photographers evoked the sights, smells and sounds of the festivals.
Next, comes the arrival of the Elizabethton Twins in town, then July the Fourth events which include fireworks displays, a parade of boats on Watauga Lake, picnics, swimming, and finally, the outdoor drama, “Liberty!” the last three weekends in July at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area.
Both, the Rhododendron and Covered Bridge Festival feed our local economy. They also make our culture richer. Both have drawn record crowds this year.
In addition to the weekend Rhododendron Festival in the park, the rhododendron was in full bloom — the prettiest it has been in years, drawing crowds to the summit of the mountain. Traffic was heavy on the mountain, and hikers were everywhere.
This year was the 70th anniversary of the Rhododendron Festival, and the organizers put in a lot of work, making it a memorable event and drawing attention to the festival’s heritage and events of past years, such as recognition of past Miss Rhododendrons.
We applaud both the organizers of the Rhododendron and Covered Bridge Festivals.
The music each night of the Covered Bridge Festival drew record-breaking crowds to the park, and the lists of artists featured each night was equal to that of much larger and regional events. There were numerous artists at both the Covered Bridge and Rhododendron Festivals showing unique ware ranging from jewelry, birdhouses, ceramics, photography, paintings, metalwork, handmade quilts, and more. Crafters were happy with their location on the Elk Avenue Bridge and Riverside Drive this year. The biggest complaint was the need for more food vendors, especially on Thursday night of the festival. Others suggested making arts and crafts and food a three-day event rather than a two-day event. With a little tweaking we are sure things can be made better. At any rate, we feel the festival is on the road to becoming bigger and better!
Also, Mother Nature cooperated as this was the first festival in several years that there was no rain.
The Covered Bridge Park all year long provides a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the Doe River, the ducks, and just have fun.
The Music in the Park programs each Saturday evening continue to draw large crowds as well as talented musicians. It is a great addition to the summer offerings, which include the car show downtown each Saturday evening and baseball.
Summers are especially blessed in Elizabethton and Carter County. There are the pleasures of canoeing and rafting on the Watauga River, hiking the Appalachian Trail and other trails, boating on the Watauga, fishing on a summer evening, enjoying a picnic lunch at one of the local parks, splashing in a secret swimming hole, taking a bike ride on the Tweetsie Trail, or just enjoying an ice cream cone!
These pleasures are ours each and every day, and you don’t have to be young to partake.
But to those simple pleasures is added a sophisticated layer of appreciation unimagined 50 years ago — reflected in music, an outdoor drama, art, and local food.
Each and every summer we enter fall more impressed by the number of fun things to do, by the good folks who pull it all together, and just how lucky we are to have rivers, mountains, parks and festivals in our backyard.
Both the Covered Bridge Festival — celebrating its 50th year — and the Rhododendron Festival — in its 70th year — are harbingers of summer in Carter County and it is great to see both events return year after year.
A special thank-you goes out to the organizers of both events for their hard work, which often goes unnoticed.