Please click the link below to learn about health and economic resources during the coronavirus pandemic, including ways to purchase surplus items and syrup from the postponed 62nd Maple Festival, as well as for businesses and nonprofits to find information on safety precautions and financial support.

CHAMBER COVID-19 RESOURCE PAGE

The Highland County Maple Festival has been announced as this year’s first-place place winner for Best Food or Drink Festival of the Shenandoah Valley Region in Virginia Living’s ninth annual Best of Virginia issue. This special issue will hit newsstands July 17. The statewide guide to all that is “best” in Virginia dining, shopping, and doing, Best of Virginia 2020 lists the more than 1,500 winners from the magazine’s Readers’ Survey, conducted in January. More than 54,000 people voted in 103 categories, covering the best in Living & Recreation, Food & Drink, Shopping, and Services across the state. We are humbled, and we appreciate everyone’s support! Pick up your copy of Virginia Living’s Best of Virginia 2020 issue today! http://www.virginialiving.com/best-of-virginia-main/best-of-virginia-2020/.

March 13 – 14 & 20 – 21, 2021



More details on the 2021 festival to come. Stay tuned!

In past years, applications for the Highland County Maple Festival have been made available in July. Unfortunately, due to the changing landscape, it is too early to be able to provide an application that we can honestly say will still be relevant in March of 2021. The Highland County Chamber of Commerce will continue to monitor federal, state and local guidelines and work with stakeholders to determine the appropriate and safe steps forward. While living through a pandemic of this scale and disruption has been difficult, we are committed to continuing the tradition of the Highland County Maple Festival that supports so many.

Take a step back in time to Highland County, “Virginia’s Sweet Spot.” Travel scenic back roads and majestic mountain byways to the annual Highland County Maple Festival. Since 1958, visitors have been drawn to Highland County to tour real maple sugar camps for a cultural and culinary adventure! In 1999, The Library of Congress designated The Highland County Maple Festival a “Local Legacy.” In 2014, the Governor of Virginia signed a bill into law designating the festival as the “official maple festival of Virginia.” Each year, tens of thousands of visitors are drawn to this unspoiled, rural region of Virginia to celebrate the “opening” of the trees and observe the process of maple syrup-making. Sugar camp tours provide a unique and educational experience that portrays a rapidly vanishing way of American life. In 2020, there will be a new sugar camp open, bringing the total to 9 open sugar camps with unique techniques and stories for you to explore. In addition to pancake dinners, doughnuts and entertainment, over 100 high-quality juried vendors take part in the festival each year. We’re glad to have you share the experience!

Hours: Saturdays 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sundays 9:00 am to 4:00 pm for the majority of the festival, including the Arts & Crafts/Food Vendors. Get an early start, beginning at 7:00 am for all-you-can eat pancake and buckwheat meals at certain areas on Saturdays and Sundays, or stay later on Saturdays for a 7:00 pm show!

GPS Addresses: The festival is a COUNTY-WIDE event, with each rural town having something unique to explore. Two main areas of interest are Monterey at “165 W. Main Street, Monterey” OR McDowell as “Mansion House Road, McDowell”.

Traffic Tips: Our rural mountain community has two main roads of Rt. 220 and Rt. 250. No matter which way you enter, you can experience something new. The center of Highland County is Monterey, and traffic often gets backed up and can cause long wait times. Though we feel it is worth the wait, know that you are never more than 30 minutes away from the edge of Highland in any direction from Monterey using Rt. 250 or 220, so feel free to leave Monterey, visit a new sugar camp or other attraction, and come back in. If you’re coming from McDowell to Monterey along Rt. 250, you can also take Rt. 629 (Strait Creek Road) to bypass Monterey and head toward Rt. 220 North to head to Blue Grass. Rt. 629 is a rural road, so watch speeds. We recommend viewing a map beforehand to plan your best route. We also recommend an early start to your cultural and culinary adventure! Safe travels! (Please note: Rt. 624, also known as Jack Mountain Road, is blocked off beyond Eagle’s Sugar Camp in the Doe Hill area for safety concerns).

Communication: Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile carriers offer limited cell phone service. Payphones in McDowell and Headwaters dial 911 in case of an emergency.

Check out our official 2020 Highland County Maple Festival Brochure by clicking on the front cover below! You can find this at various Visitor Centers and locations within and without the county, including the Highland County Visitor Center at The Highland Center at 61 Highland Center Drive just off Spruce Street in Monterey. (Please be sure to “scale to fit” if you want to print your own on a standard sheet of paper). Click on any of the links to the right of the brochure to learn more – they plan to be updated, so check back frequently!

Click the following link for the March 12, 2020 Press Release on the 2020 Maple Festival being postponed until further notice: 2020 Maple Festival Postponement Press Release

Be sure to stay warm with layered clothing and boots, as weather can vary in March. Have fun!

Pick up an Official Maple Festival Map at various locations around the county and watch for signs to guide you through our rural mountain community!

The Official 62nd Annual Highland County Maple Festival Map digital version:

Dog Policy: Leashed dogs are permitted in outside, public spaces during the festival.

THE CHAMBER IS NO LONGER ACTIVELY SEEKING VENDORS FOR 2020, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW IF SPOTS MAY OPEN UP. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN BEING A BACKUP OR WANT TO BE ON THE LIST FOR 2021, PLEASE EMAIL: director@highlandcounty.org.

2020 Maple Festival Sponsors

KEY CHAIN SPONSOR:

mysummit.bank

CROWN LEVEL:

www.kissitohealthcarehotsprings.org

BRANCH LEVEL:

www.bigfishcider.com

www.mgwnet.com

ROOT LEVEL:

www.alleghenyinstruments.com

www.bluegrassvalleybank.com

www.highlandscommunitybank.com

www.gristmillsquare.com

https://www.facebook.com/SimmonsTechSolutionsLLC

INTERESTED IN BEING A SPONSOR? CLICK HERE: 2020 Maple Festival Sponsorship Information Sheet