Virginia’s sweetest event of the year is almost here again. Nestled in the peaceful, rural mountains on the western border of the Commonwealth, travelers can take a step back in time for a cultural and culinary adventure at the county-wide 64th annual Highland County Maple Festival March 9-10 and 16-17.
Since 1959, tens of thousands of visitors have been drawn to Highland County, Virginia, to celebrate the “opening” of the trees and to observe the process of making delicious, pure maple syrup. Free “sugar camp” tours provide a unique and educational experience for the entire family to learn how the golden delicacy is made from tree to bottle, ranging from traditional to modern techniques. Local sugar camps have even expanded to include syrups infused with fruits and spices or even aged in spirit barrels. Other tree syrups can be found at the festival as well, including hickory, birch, and black walnut. Ten local sugar camps will be open on Saturdays and eight on Sundays this year.
Local civic clubs and organizations will be bringing back their delicious food offerings. Food vendors on North Water Street and Main Street in Monterey, Virginia, offer expanded options for savory and sweet meals for visitors.
More than 100 juried arts and crafts vendors will be available in Monterey and McDowell, Virginia.
Each day of the festival will feature at least two live shows at The Highland Center. At 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on March 9, enjoy the popular bluegrass band Southern Rail Express. A special performance from popular folk duo Robin and Linda Williams of “A Prairie Home Companion” fame will take place at 5 p.m. At 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. March 10, listen to local favorite Alice Shumate and The Sounds of Highland play folk, bluegrass, and ole time music. During the following weekend at 10 a.m. on March 16, put on one’s dancing shoes with old time band Mudhole Control and stay to hear their heel stomping tunes for a 2 p.m. square dance with callers Ellen and Eugene Ratcliffe. Finish up the festival with two clogging performances on March 17 with the Hi-Horse Cloggers performing at 10 a.m. and the homegrown Little Switzerland Cloggers entertaining audiences at 2 p.m. For more entertainment, visitors can listen to bluegrass music at noon on Saturdays at Southernmost Maple in Bolar, Virginia.
There are several new organizations to enjoy this year in the scenic community. Hazy Hollow Farm, just east of McDowell, Virginia, will feature working cattle farm tours. The Charles Pinckney Jones Museum on Main Street in Monterey, Virginia, will be open, and just down the street, The 3rd Space and Art on Main will host art demonstrations along with juried art from the county. Close by, children can also enjoy gemstone mining for treasures while parents browse local artisan goods at The Rock Shop. At the intersection of Rt. 220 and 250, enjoy open house tours of the newly renovated Ernie’s Market that is now called The Highlander, or view The Barn event space behind the Monterey Inn’s lodging and dining experiences.
Also new this year will be a pilot program to help reduce traffic congestion on March 9. B & L’s Mountain Safe Transportation will be providing a complimentary shuttle service. The shuttle plans to run from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can park for free at the Monterey Stockyard at 1367 Jackson River Road just south of Monterey, Virginia, off of Rt. 220. From there, a 12-14 passenger shuttle will transport visitors north up Rt. 220 with a drop off/pickup area at the entrance to the pool so they can take the Community Trail to either the Highland County Public Schools or downtown. From there, the shuttle will travel to Spruce Street for a drop off/pickup area at The Highland Center, and then continue on back to the Monterey Stockyard on a continuous loop.
In 1999, the Library of Congress designated The Highland County Maple Festival a “Local Legacy,” and in 2014, the Governor of Virginia signed a bill into law designating the festival as the “official maple festival of Virginia.” More recently, the festival has earned several user-voted awards, including the winner of Best Unique Festival in the Best of the Blue Ridge 2024 Reader’s Choice Awards from Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine and 2023’s first-place place winner for Best Festival of the Shenandoah Valley Region in Virginia Living’s Best of Virginia. An economic impact study in 2023 revealed that the festival generated $2.4 million in direct spending in Highland County.
Traditional hours of the festival include Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Full details on all the festival happenings can be found at www.highlandcounty.org/maple-festival, with posts highlighting the festival available at www.facebook.com/HighlandCounty and www.instagram.com/highland_county_va.
