Little Levels Heritage Fair returns to Hillsboro

The 22^nd annual Little Levels Heritage Fair is Friday June 28^th through Sunday June 30^th 2019.  The Fair is returning to the Town of Hillsboro this year in, around and behind Hillsboro Elementary school.  Little Levels Heritage Fair Board Member Jake Hyer has more.

“After many Fairs at the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace just up the road, we made the decision to move the Fair back to the Town of Hillsboro due to the consideration of the always plausible possibility of inclement weather and the ease of just moving events indoors into the gym at Hillsboro elementary school,” said Hyer, “should we have to start singing Burt Bacharach’s ‘Raindrops Falling On Our Heads.”

One thing that’s never changed about the Fair is the spirit of appreciation for bygone days.

“The theme is traditional field day heritage games so we’re going to have lots of cool old fashioned games like tug of war, egg toss, three-legged race and other relays and games to kinda of allude to community competitive spirit,” said Hyer. “And decidedly un-technological forms of leisure in the past just like an old fashioned fun summer day!”

Jake said the Fair officially kicks off Friday night at 5pm.

“There’s going to be a hot dog dinner provided by the Oak Grove Presbyterian Church women which you may enjoy while you’re listening to the Riley Family Band at 5pm,” he said. “They will play and fire up a fiddle tune for the Cupcake Walk, don’t want to miss that.  You guessed it, it’s like a cake walk but with…cupcakes.”

“We did that last year and it was a hit, so we’re bringing it back.  You know, a more economical, portable cake that you can carry around while you’re browsing arts and crafts in the gym!”

Friday night entertainment also includes Uncle Gary and the Porch Pickers at 6pm and the always popular Fireman’s Parade at 7pm.

The Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department gets your Saturday off to a good start with a Sausage Biscuit Breakfast from 7:30 to 10am. They’ll also have pork sandwiches later in the day.   Tours of the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace will be available from 10am to 3pm – there is a $5.00 fee for adults.  Arts and crafts will be scattered around and in the elementary school gym. And of course, there will be music.

“10am to 11am, music by the Viney Mountain Boys, 11am to 12pm, music by Juanita Fireball and the Continental Drifters, 12 to 1pm, music by Richard Hefner and the Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys, 1pm Homer Hunter and Stony Bottom Bluegrass and rounding out the music 3 to 4pm, music by the Bill Hefner family and from 4 to 5pm music by the Bing Brothers featuring Jake Krack,” said Hyer.

Other events on Saturday include Field Games for all ages, a homemade pie contest and the Heritage Parade at 2pm.

Several area churches will celebrate the spiritual side of the Fair Sunday morning.  Tours of the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace will be available from Noon to 4pm.   The traditional Vespers service will wrap up the festival Sunday evening at 8:15pm at the McNeel Cemetery in honor of Opal Workman.

You can find a list of all the events for the 22^nd annual Little Levels Heritage Fair at littlelevelsheritagefair.com.