Press release from City of Morganton Main Street:
This is your invitation to “come and play in the streets” of downtown Morganton during the 38th Annual Morganton Festival presented by Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge on September 6 & 7! Famous for its mile and a half of arts and crafts and free outdoor concert, the Morganton Festival continues with tradition, featuring a impressive lineup by NC’s Ultimate AC/DC Tribute Band, Thunderstruck, on Friday night and national Country Music Star Rodney Atkins for the finale Saturday. Stay connected to www.morgantonfest.org for the latest news and information.
The FULL event kicks off on Friday, September 6 at noon with the Patton High School Band marching up W. Union Street along with the winners of the Miss Morganton Pageant. Over 200 craft vendors line the courthouse square, Green Street, Union Street and Sterling Street offering a plethora of art, jewelry, woodworking, jewelry, pottery, soap, candles, clothes and more! Be sure to come hungry because the mouth-watering Friday Food Fest will tempt your taste buds with the aromas of gyros, BBQ, “chicken on a stick”, vegetarian noodles, egg rolls, homemade ice cream and much, much more.
The ever popular Kids Zone and Teen Zone will open at 2:00pm with ticketed rides and games along with the FREE craft area known as Litter Critters, for children, grades 5th and under. The Festival presents roving acts which feature The One Man Band and acrobats! For a full lineup, visit www.morgantonfest.org. For teens and fun-loving adults, the Teen Zone features a Volcano Rock Climbing Wall, the Wild West Mechanical Bull, a Water Tag Course, Obstacle Courses, and more.
Be sure to stop by the M.A.D.E. (Morganton, Arts, Design and Engineering) Competition tent located in the grass lot diagonally across from CVS where Burke County Middle and High School teams will be competing in the “Junkyard Challenge”, an onsite design/build engineering feat that you will not want to miss.
Friday, the music begins on the Indie Stage in the Beer Garden at 3:00pm with Pan Jive Band, followed by the highly versatile group, Gypsy Grass. Wiregrass keeps the party going at the Indie Stage with their mix of bluegrass tunes.
After jamming out at the Indie Stage, be sure to walk over to City Stage. The Broadcast will hit the City Stage at 8:00pm offering a psychedelic soul rock performance plus, NC’s Ultimate AC/DC band Thunderstruck will make their City Stage debut Friday night at 9:30pm.
Start Saturday morning at 8:00 am with a 5k or 10k by participating in the Sunrise Run on the Greenway! The Student Fitness Challenge sponsored by Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge and 1 mile Fun Run/Walk starts at 9:30am. Students should pre-register with their Physical Education teachers for the Student Fitness Challenge (elementary and middle school’s only); adults can pre-register for the 5k, 10k or 1 mile Fun Run/Walk on-line at www.morgantonfest.org. The course has been certified and will be chip-timed!
After your fitness session, head to the Festival where booths open back up at 9:00am. Yard art, baskets, crafted toys, jellies, wines, distilleries, clothing, carvings, baskets, plants, pottery and lots of jewelry can be discovered over eight city blocks! Civic organizations, crafters, artists and businesses are out on the streets waiting for the ever-popular festival shopper. Throughout the day there are activities for the entire family.
The Indie Stage kicks off the day’s performances with a Dr. Seuss story time with Adventure Bound Books and meet and greet with The Cat in the Hat lasting from 9:00am to noon. Bring the entire family! The first 200 kids will receive a coupon for a free cotton candy OR snow cone from the Optimist’s food trailer!! Music continues at 12:30pm on the Indie Stage with The Funk Connection followed by local favorites Greg Mastin and The Druthers at 3:00pm. The streets will again heat up in the evening with live music from Matt Walsh and the Movers and Shiloh Hill. These are performances from a wide selection of musical genres that you will not want to miss.
City Stage will gear back up at 7:00pm with country band Farewell Angelina and National Country Music Artist, Rodney Atkins! Rodney Atkins has received multiple awards and nominations through the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.
ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE! Entrance into the festival grounds are FREE!
Be a part of this memory making event and mark your calendars for a great weekend of fun, September 6 & 7 in downtown Morganton. The festival is an animal-free event and will go on rain or shine. For a complete listing of all the events including the Sunrise Run, MADE, music acts, and more, contact us by phone at 828-438- 5252; by email at info@morgantonfest.org; or check out the website
www.morgantonfest.org.
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