2017 Highland Hands and Harvest Festival

Highland County’s Hands and Harvest festival is Friday through Sunday, October 6^th through 8^th, and we spoke with Dorothy Stephenson, Executive Director of the Highland Chamber of Commerce to find out more about all the upcoming activities.

“The Hands and Harvest Festival will kick off this Friday starting at 3:00 pm, and it will go until 7:00 pm, and we will have vendors on the courthouse lawn. We will also be having Southern Rail Express perform on the porch of the courthouse from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.

“And one other exciting thing that we’ve recently added to the schedule is we will have the dedication of the new clocks in the clock tower. Right after the band finishes playing at 7:00, the Monterey Lions Club will have a little ceremony and light the clocks.”

“On Saturday, we start the day out with our 5K run, which will start at the Highland Community Pool, and the trail will go all over town, there’s going to be farm themed obstacles all along the trail throughout the town. We’re expecting a good number again this year, last year it was a little rainy but we still had a good crowd, so we’re hoping for a bigger crowd this year. We’re also going to have vendors on the courthouse lawn, the farmers’ market will be going on at The Highland Center. Events will be going on at Fairlawn Farm, Laurel Fork Sapsuckers, Sugar Tree Country Store, and Southernmost Maple.

“Also on Saturday, at 1:00 pm, we will have the Little Switzerland Cloggers performing in front of the library.

“The SPCA sweater sale will be going on from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and the used book sale 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The Highland County Humane Society will also have a Family Fun Day and Rabies Clinic from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Monterey Fire Department. We’ll also have tractor rides around town, hay rides. In addition, all of our local shops will be open with all kinds of great little downtown shopping.

“On Sunday, there will be a brunch at The Highland Inn from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, and that will be followed by a concert by Wayne Henderson and Helen White, which will be held at The Highland Center at 3:00 pm, and is sponsored by the Highland County Arts Council. We’ll also have vendors as well open on the courthouse lawn.

“This will also be our third year for our Harvest Tour. During the Harvest Tour, we pick different farm locations throughout the county to feature on a self-guided map, so you’ll get to see all kinds of different farming aspects, or products that are created at farms. For instance, Margie Boesch will have her studio open, her Highland Barn Quilt studio open, so people can stop in and actually see where she creates the barn quilts and what the process is. These maps will be available for pick-up at the Highland Visitors center at The Highland Center.

Of course, no festival would be complete without food.

“Food is being provided by Word of Faith Church ministry, they’re doing a BBQ chicken benefit dinner on Saturday from 4:30 – 7:00 pm, and the Church of God is having their booth set up on the courthouse lawn, with all of their yummy foods, hamburgers and country ham sandwiches and pies and all kinds of good stuff.

“To find out more information on the Hands and Harvest Festival, visit www.highlandcounty.org.”