Center for Pioneer Life

09/09/2026

🍂 Come Hungry to Harvesting Heritage! 🍂

A day of Appalachian heritage calls for something good to eat—and plenty of coffee to keep you going!

We’re excited to have FireTruck Catering LLC serving up food throughout the Harvesting Heritage Festival, along with Main Street Coffee keeping the drinks flowing.

Grab a bite, sip on your favorite coffee, find a spot to enjoy the live music, and spend the day exploring the farm, meeting our craftspeople, and celebrating the traditions of our mountains.

Check out the menu here: https://thefiretruckcatering.com/menu

Harvesting Heritage Festival
📅 Saturday, September 19
⏰ 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
📍 Center for Pioneer Life | 134 Joe Young Road, Burnsville
🎟️ $10 | Children 10 & under FREE

Good food, good music, and a full day of Appalachian heritage—we’ll see you at the farm!

Explore the mouthwatering menu at The Fire Truck Catering! Discover our delicious food truck offerings and satisfy your cravings today.

09/08/2026

🍂 Meet the Makers of Harvesting Heritage! 🍂

One of the best parts of Harvesting Heritage is watching Appalachian traditions come to life right before your eyes!

On Saturday, September 19, the Center for Pioneer Life will be filled with talented craftspeople, artists, and demonstrators sharing everything from blacksmithing, basketmaking, weaving, spinning, chair caning, doll making to beekeeping, leatherwork, instrument making, and historic salt making.

You’ll find local artists and handmade crafts to browse throughout the day. Stop by, meet the makers, ask questions, watch them work, and maybe even find something special to take home!

Harvesting Heritage Festival
📅 Saturday, September 19
⏰ 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
📍 Center for Pioneer Life | 134 Joe Young Road, Burnsville
🎟️ $10 | Children 10 & under FREE

Come see the skills, creativity, and traditions that have been passed down through generations in our mountains.

We can’t wait to welcome all of these wonderful vendors and demonstrators to the farm!

09/05/2026

🎻 Grab Your Dancing Shoes—Harvesting Heritage Is Almost Here!

We’re filling the farm with fiddles, banjos, mountain music, and clogging for Harvesting Heritage on Saturday, September 19!

Come for your favorite group or pull up a chair and stay for the whole lineup:

10:00–11:00 AM — Spinning Wheel
11:00 AM–12:00 PM — Susan Scoggins & Kirk Banner
12:00–1:30 PM — Rudy’s Bluegrass R***e
1:30–2:00 PM — Green Valley Cloggers
2:00–3:00 PM — Susie & Gary Solomon

And there’s plenty to do between songs! Wander the farm, meet traditional craftspeople, watch heritage skills in action, pick a pumpkin, grab some lunch, and enjoy a fall day celebrating the music and traditions of our mountains.

🍂 Harvesting Heritage Festival
📅 Saturday, September 19
⏰ 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
📍 Center for Pioneer Life, Burnsville
🎟️ $10 | Children 10 & under FREE

But don’t head home when the festival ends! At 5:30 PM, we’ll gather for Singing Mary: An Evening of Appalachian Ballads.

Make a day of it with a $20 combo ticket and enjoy two Appalachian experiences in one unforgettable Saturday!

09/03/2026

We’re a little over 2 weeks away from a full day of Appalachian heritage, music, and fun at the Center for Pioneer Life!

Harvesting Heritage Festival + Singing Mary: An Evening of Appalachian Ballads
Saturday, September 19

Join us from 10:00 AM–3:00 PM for the Harvesting Heritage Festival, featuring pumpkin picking, live mountain music, historic craft demonstrations, pioneer homestead tours, local artisan vendors, seasonal food, and more!

Then at 5:30 PM, settle in for Singing Mary: An Evening of Appalachian Ballads, an original musical by Beverly Austin presented by the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre (SART), celebrating the life and music of legendary Appalachian ballad singer Mary Sands.

Harvesting Heritage: $10
Singing Mary: $15
Combo Ticket: $20 — Save $5!
Children 10 and under are FREE!

📍 Center for Pioneer Life
134 Joe Young Road, Burnsville, NC

And we have lots more to share! Follow our page over the next two weeks as we introduce the local vendors, traditional craft demonstrators, musicians, and more who will be joining us!

One day. Two incredible Appalachian experiences.

https://www.pioneerlife.org/event-details-registration/harvesting-heritage-festival-2026

08/29/2026

We can’t wait for our next History Happy Hour!! 🏞️🐟🌊

Our wonderful community has shown up and shown out during this seasons History Happy Hours and we are so grateful!

With that being said, we will be checking for RSVPs when you arrive. We have currently reached capacity, so if you have RSVPed and can no longer make it, please let us know so we can open that spot for someone else!

See you next week!

Hidden Rivers is Freshwaters Illustrated’s feature film that explores the rivers and streams of the Southern Appalachian region, North America’s most biologically rich waters.

08/06/2026

Can’t wait to see you all this weekend! Make sure you stop at our booth and get a bingo sheet to win a fun prize!!

Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair FAQ ❔ We've been seeing lots of great questions, so here are a few quick answers!

🚧 When do the road closures begin? Road closures begin at 2:00 p.m. Thursday (Aug. 6) to allow our artists time to safely set up for the fair. Portions of North Main, West Main, South Main, and the Town Square will be closed to vehicle traffic until the fair concludes Saturday evening.

☔ Is the Crafts Fair rain or shine? Yes! The Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair is a rain or shine event. Our artists have traveled from near and far to be here, and the fair will take place unless severe weather creates an unsafe situation.

🐕 Can I bring my dog? For everyone's safety and comfort, pets are not permitted at the Crafts Fair. ADA service animals are always welcome.

🚌 Where should I park? Free parking is available throughout town, with additional parking at the Rose's and Go Grocery lots. The Yancey County Transportation Authority will provide free shuttle service from both lots throughout the event.

🛍️ How many vendors will be there? More than 200 booths will fill Burnsville's charming Town Square and surrounding streets, featuring handmade arts, crafts, local food, live music, and more.

Have another question? Drop it in the comments or visit https://www.yanceychamber.com/events/mount-mitchell-crafts-fair for more information. We can't wait to see you this weekend!

08/02/2026

In this workshop you will learn how to use plants to create beautiful, colorful dyes for multiple uses.

08/02/2026

Join us as Julie Dixon shows her documentary "Melungeon Voices". Melungeon is one of the names given to a group of people who were first documented living in the mountains of east Tennessee and southwest Virginia in the early 1800s.

07/29/2026