September at Sycamore Shoals State Park is jam-packed with adventure, activities

Published 12:32 pm Wednesday, August 24, 2022

September at Sycamore Shoals Park is jam-packed with activities – from critter catching, bike rides, music and dancing to the annual Overmountain Victory Trail Re-enactment March.

The OVT activities will begin Saturday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m. when the Tennessee Society Songs of the American Revolution will meet at Fort Watauga in honor of the Overmountain Men and their victory over loyalist forces at the Battle of King’s Mountain. The 24th “Gathering at Sycamore Shoals will be celebrated with a memorial service and a ceremonial wreath laying.

Friday, Sept. 23,  an educational program Walking in Frontier Footsteps will be at 12 noon. Museum Curator Chad Bogart will lead an interpretive walk through the grounds of Sycamore Shoals and along portions of the walking trail. He will tell about the historical events that place at Sycamore Shoals and their significance to the formation of the nation and Tennessee. The walk will be about 90 minutes long

Sunday, Sept.25, at 2 p.m., members of the Overmountain Victory Trail Association will re-create the historic march to King’s Mountain, something they have done since 1975. The marchers will cross the Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals just as the Overmountain militia did 242 years ago.

Also, the weekend of Sept. 24 and 25, will be two days of living history demonstration at the encampment of the Overmountain militia before embarking to King’s Mountain and the ensuing battle, which took place in 1780. It was some of the most crucial days of the American Revolution.

Other September activities at the park include:

– CREEK CRITTER CATCHIN Thursday, Sept. 1, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. No children younger than five, and there is a cost of $5. Discover the different creatures that call the Watauga River Home

– RANGER LED BIKE RIDE Friday, Sept. 2, from 10 to 11 a.m. Ranger Davis will lead a bike ride from the park, up the Elizabethton Linear Trail to the Covered Bridge, then back to the park via the Tweetsie Trail. The total loop is about six miles and will take about one hour. Bring your own bike and water. No children younger than five. There is a $5 charge.

– SUMMER MUSIC JAM AT FORT WATAUGA Friday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m. Admission is free. Music will include a wide variety of classic rock, country, bluegrass, and everything in between.

– FALL KNAP-IN AT FORT WATAUGA from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 in celebration of Tennessee Archaeology Week. Observe primitive skills craftsmen make arrowheads, spear points and other survival tools. There will also be demonstrations of the bow and arrow and atlatl.

– WATAUGA VALLEY ART LEAGUE at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11

– FELLOWSHIP ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCING from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18.

Both beginners and seasoned dancers are invited. The afternoon will provide the opportunity to learn dances from different cultures. No cost to attend.

– TECH IN NATURE at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20. Admission is $6. The program will seek to show how you can better use technology on a day-to-day basis in nature. Using tools such as GPS locating, plant identification and other easily accessible resources and apps will demonstrate how to enhance your experience

– OLD TIME MUSIC JAM with Art Lange from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Old-time musicians of all levels are welcome.

– CEMETERY SYMBOLISM at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30 with Chad Bogart. He will share about the meaning behind the artwork and symbols on old gravestones. Spend an evening in the cemetery at the historic Carter Mansion on Broad Street Ext. The program will last for about 90 minutes and will share how you can translate the language of cemetery symbolism and how the images tell the story of the deceased.