2026 Highland County Maple Festival Parts 1&2
Hi, this is Chris Swecker, Executive Director of the Highland County Chamber of Commerce. I’m here today to talk to you about our upcoming Highland County Maple Festival, Virginia’s sweetest event of the year returns on March 14 and 15th and 21st and 22nd of 2026. This year marks our 66th event, and as usual, travelers can take a step back in time for a cultural and culinary adventure at our county-wide festival.
Highland County is Virginia’s least populous county, but we’ve been drawing 10s of 1000s of visitors to our community since 1959 every year to celebrate the opening of the trees and to observe the process of making delicious pure Virginia maple syrup. We have 10 local sugar camps, as we call them, that will be open on Saturdays and eight on Sundays this year. There are free tours at all of these camps to provide a unique and educational experience for the entire family, where you can learn how the golden delicacy is made from tree to bottle, ranging from traditional to modern techniques. These local sugar camps have even expanded to include syrups infused with fruits and spices, or even aged in spirit barrels. Other tree syrup, such as hickory, can be found at the festival as well. New this year is Pleasant Brook Farms – they’re our newest sugar camp that will be open to the public in 2026 during all four days. They’re located in the southwest corner of the county, and showcase wood fired pans in their sugar house that has visible remnants of its decades old, original structure.
Our local civic clubs and organizations will be bringing back their delicious food offerings, including those fresh famous maple donuts, pancake and buckwheat cake meals with country side-dishes, trout, pork rinds, and just about anything maple flavored. Our local restaurants will be ready to serve with special menus of savory and sweet treats, and there will also be additional food vendors on North Water Street in Monterey for more meal options.
Stop into locally owned shops and attractions throughout the county to experience rural charm and a friendly atmosphere. There are several things that are new for 2026 that you can explore. Virginia’s 44th state park, Hayfields State Park will be open for visitors to hike, fish and explore, south of the town of McDowell. The Felix Hull House in the heart of McDowell is a historic property now owned by Durham Collective that will be hosting an open house with local goods and refreshments. Also in McDowell, Eagle Point Log Homes is a custom log home builder that will have a model house to tour. And Mountain Oasis is under new management as The Outpost to supply deli groceries and treats right along Route 250. Bruce’s Syrup and Candies will add a new location to sell their maple syrup and baked goods inside of the Stonewall Ruritan building in McDowell this year.
In Monterey, enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner with the Highland County Eagles. Number 4556, located near the intersection of Route 250, and 220. Next to Water Street in Monterey, Sky Pirate Ranch will be serving up delicious house-made sausages with customer patio seating as well.
In part two of our story covering the 66th Highland County Maple Festival, we’ll focus on the arts and crafts and the entertainment that will be available.
This is Chris Swecker for Allegheny Mountain Radio.
This is Chris Swecker, Executive Director of the Highland County Chamber of Commerce. We’re continuing with Part Two of our story, covering the 66th Highland County Maple Festival, returning on March, 14th and 15th and 21st through 22nd, 2026.
At our festival, we’ll have over 100 juried artisans and crafters that will be available in Monterey and McDowell, providing one of a kind, treasures, tasty food and special gifts. You can browse and shop with new and returning vendors for a seemingly endless variety of hand-crafted items, from old time trades to exclusive artwork to exquisite jewelry. The festival’s only ticket fee, if you want to call it that, is admission to access vendors in Monterey at the Highland County Public School gyms and the Highland Center’s local artisans market that can be purchased on site for just $5.00 and children nine and under are free.
That $5.00 payment comes with a collectible maple leaf key chain that also provides access to 2:00 pm entertainment at the Highland Center. This year’s key chain commemorates the celebration of America’s 250th with a red, white and blue color scheme. It’s our first collectible key chain that has two different colors on each side, and it has a QR code that you can scan with your phone that will take you to a website, highland county.org/va250, that will talk about different historic events, attractions and businesses that are supporting America’s 250th anniversary right here in Highland County and the surrounding community.
Each day of the festival will feature a live performance of Appalachian culture at 2:00 pm at the Highland Center in Monterey – on Saturday, March 14th, enjoy the popular bluegrass band Southern Rail Express; on Sunday March 15th, be entertained by the homegrown award winning Little Switzerland Cloggers. During the second weekend, on Saturday, March 21st, put on your dancing shoes for a square dance with local callers Ellen and Eugene Ratcliffe, backed by the old-time music of Mud Hole Control. That square dance is sponsored by a grant from Mid-Atlantic Arts. Finish out the festival with the Appalachian folk band Mill Creek Cronies on Sunday March 22nd. All entertainment at the Highland Center is brought to you with the assistance and sponsorship of the Highland County Arts Council. For even more entertainment, visitors can listen to bluegrass music at Southernmost Maple in Bolar starting at noon on Saturdays.
Once again, we’ll have a shuttle service in Monterey that will be provided all four days of the festival to help reduce traffic congestion. B & L’s Mountain Safe Transportation will be providing a complimentary shuttle service from approximately 8:30 am to 5:00 pm on Saturdays, and 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on Sundays. The route begins at the Monterey Stockyard, just south of Monterey, and runs on a continuous loop with three stops at popular destinations, including near the Highland County Public Schools, just off of Route 220; near the Mill Gap Ruritan Club’s red doughnut trailer, and at the Highland Center. It’s complimentary parking at the Monterey Stockyard at 1367 Jackson River Road, just south of Monterey, off of Route 220 and it’s first come, first served, so no reservations are needed.
We should note that visitors should be aware of a bridge construction project north of Monterey at the intersection of Route 220, which is Potomac River Road, and Route 629, which is Strait Creek Road, and that might cause short delays with temporary stop lights installed.
The Highland County Maple Festival is coordinated by the Highland County Chamber of Commerce and made possible with the help of countless volunteers and organizations that we just can’t thank enough. Top sponsors include Leafguard, Renewal by Anderson, Burke & Herbert Bank, Kissito Healthcare Springs Nursing & Rehab, Malcolm Place, Pendleton Community Bank, The Bluegrass Valley Bank, The Highland Center and the Highland County Arts Council.
Traditional hours of the festival include Saturdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sundays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, though visitors can get a jump start on the day with maple donuts being served at 6:00 am and pancake and buckwheat cake meals being served as early as 7:00 am.
You can get full details on all the festival happenings at highlandcounty.org/maple-festival. You can also follow the Highland County VA Facebook and Instagram pages for more updates.
Virginia is for Maple Syrup Lovers. See you soon.
For Allegheny Mountain Radio, this is Chris Swecker.
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