Mount Mitchell State Park Celebrates Centennial Anniversary August 27-28

It’s an extraordinary event 100 years in the making.

Mount Mitchell State Park will host its Centennial Celebration August 27-28 with a full weekend of activities starting on Saturday, Aug. 27 with heritage demonstrations, arts and crafts vendors, live music on stage at the summit parking area, and presentations by authors, historians and state park interpretive staff.

Sunday will feature environmental and recreational activities with an educational focus and will include guided hikes and interpretive programs.

When Mount Mitchell State Park began operations in Yancey County in 1916, it was the first state park designated in North Carolina. The celebration on Mount Mitchell is part of a year-long recognition and appreciation of North Carolina’s state parks with special events scheduled in every park.

Photo by ExploreBurnsville.com

Because parking space is very limited for this event, there will be free shuttle service from Asheville to Mount Mitchell on Saturday. In Asheville, buses will pick up and drop off at First Baptist Church at 5 Oak Street. Buses depart Asheville at 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m.,12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. Return buses leave Mount Mitchell at 1:30 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.



There will also be free shuttle service departing from locations in Black Mountain, Burnsville and Marion. Buses and vans will run on Saturday only. See the bottom of this article for more information on bus schedules and locations.

Heritage demonstrations on Saturday include woodworking, basketry and spinning. Entertainment will feature traditional mountain music, modern bluegrass and mountain dancing.

Performers include Nitrograss, Broke Holler (Pete and Kim McWhirter), dulcimer player Don Pedi, Mountain Laurel Band, and the Bailey Mountain Cloggers from Mars Hill University, who will dance at 10:45 a.m. Saturday morning. There will be live music on stage throughout the afternoon.

Arts and crafts vendors will sell handmade wooden items, pottery, minerals, jellies, baskets and more. There will also be interpretive displays as well as informational booths on hiking and camping in Western North Carolina.

Photo courtesy of ExploreBunrsville.com

Yancey County artist and woodcarver David Boone will unveil two new sculptures he’s created: one of Dr. Mitchell, and one of Big Tom Wilson. The 18-inch carvings are made from a wooden beam that came out of Big Tom’s cabin.

Boone’s lifesize carving of Big Tom has been a popular feature in the park museum for many years. It was Big Tom who found Dr. Mitchell’s body after he fell to his death in a waterfall on the western side of the mountain.

Dr. Mitchell’s watch, stopped forever at 8:19 on the evening of June 27, 1857 will also be on display at the park that weekend.

Boone will present his new sculptures around 11:15 a.m. on Saturday. Dignitaries and speakers for the event include NC Poet Laureate Shelby Stephenson, who will read his new poem about Mount Mitchell.

Dr. Timothy Silver, a professor at Appalachian State University and author of Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains: An Environmental History of the Highest Peaks in Eastern America will deliver a presentation on his research and work documenting Mount Mitchell (1 p.m.).

Jonathan Bennett and David Biddix will discuss their 2015 book of historical images of Mount Mitchell, and present a slideshow of pictures (10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.).

State Park Ranger Billy Drakeford will discuss the life, and untimely death, of Dr. Elisha Mitchell (12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.).

As part of the celebration, Yancey County commissioned artist Rolf Holmquist to create a new commemorative print for the centennial event. Holmquist will be at the park on Saturday to sign numbered copies of his illustration.

The restaurant in the park will be closed on Saturday, but will be open on Sunday. Two local food trucks will be serving at the summit parking area on Saturday. Free shuttle service will also be available inside the park.

To read more details about this event, visit the Mount Mitchell State Park’s Centennial Celebration website. For more information and pictures of Mount Mitchell, visit ExploreBurnsville.com and look for the Mount Mitchell links.

Photo courtesy of ExploreBurnsville.com

SHUTTLE LOCATIONS:

All shuttle vans and buses are free.

In Asheville, buses will pick up and drop off at First Baptist Church at 5 Oak Street. Buses depart Asheville at 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. Return buses leave Mount Mitchell at 1:30 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

In Black Mountain, buses will pick up and drop off at Bi-Lo Grocery, 205 NC Highway 9. Bus departs Black Mountain at 9:30 a.m. Return bus leaves Mount Mitchell at 3:45 p.m.

In Burnsville, vans will pick up and drop off passengers at Rose’s Store parking lot in the Yancey Commons Shopping Center, 120 Reservoir Road. There will be another pickup location at South Toe Elementary School on Highway 80 South. 14-passenger vans will run every 30 minutes between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.

In Marion, buses will pick up and drop off at Bi-Lo Grocery, 500 North Main Street. Buses depart Marion at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Return buses leave Mount Mitchell at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.