The 31st Annual Heritage Weekend will be held September 17–18 at the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Folk Art Center. This popular festival is sponsored by the Southern Highland Craft Guild and features traditional music, dancing, and heritage craft demonstrations.

Always a crowd favorite, the World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition will be held from 2–3 p.m. on Saturday, with Joe “Colonel Buncombe” Bly emceeing the competition. A whimmy diddle, for you folks new to the area, is an Appalachian mountain toy made from two sticks of wood. Notches are carved into one stick and a propeller is attached to the end. The other stick is rubbed against the notches, causing the propeller to spin either gee (to the right) or haw (to the left).

Learn from area experts about beekeeping, rifle making, coopering, heritage toy making, natural dyeing, spinning, quilting, whittling, print making, and furniture making. Other highlights include sheep shearing demonstrations throughout the day on Saturday, and border collie demonstrations on Sunday. New members of the Guild who will participating this year are Matt Tommey (basket making) and Brandy Clements (chair caning).

The entertainment schedule is jam-packed with regional musicians on both days, including Buncombe Turnpike and Blue Eyed Girl. The Apple Chill Cloggers and Cole Mountain Cloggers will entertain the audience with traditional mountain dancing. Highlights also include Southwestern Virginia Finger picking with Ellie and Roals Kirby, and Paul’s Creek Band performing with special guest Arvil Freeman.

The Folk Art Center (located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway just north of the Hwy 70 entrance in east Asheville) is the ideal place for Heritage Weekend, with free parking, access to hiking trails, and grassy areas for a picnic. For more information, including a list of participating craftspeople and musicians, call 828.298.7928 or visit craftguild.org.