This September marks the 34th year for Heritage Weekend, a free festival that explores traditional Appalachian customs like beekeeping, coopering, heritage toy making, broom and furniture making, spinning and natural dyeing, all sponsored by the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Both Saturday and Sunday offer a full lineup of crafts, dance and mountain-inspired music with fare from Granny’s Country Kitchen food truck. But the real action happens at 2 p.m. on Saturday with the Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition — a rivalrous game that tests competitors’ prowess at spinning two notched rhododendron sticks. The stakes are high, with winners snagging a Moon Pie to accompany their bragging rights. The Folk Art Center (located at Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 382) houses the festival on Saturday, Sept. 20 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and Sunday, Sept. 21 (12-5 p.m.). craftguild.org. Photo of Jim McGie by Diana Gates
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