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The 77th Rhododendron Festival will be held this weekend – another annual celebration of the mountain and its beauty.

The festival, which will be held in Roan Mountain State Park, will feature handmade arts and crafts, delicious food, mountain music and entertainment.

The festival takes place Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

June 1947 saw the first of the Rhododendron Festivals, conceived and carried out by the Roan Mountain Citizens Club as a two-day celebration to memorialize and perpetuate the most gorgeous display of natural beauty on the North American continent.
This festival, the oldest in Carter County, has continued uninterrupted for over 60 years. The festival is held annually in June. Originally the festival was held at the top of Roan Mountain.

In recent years the festival has been held in Roan Mountain State Park, located at the foot of Roan Mountain, and features handmade crafts, food, and a variety of traditional music, plus an array of old-time folkway demonstrations.

The peak bloom time for the sea of purple-magenta is usually mid-June, plus or minus a week depending on the weather.