Nearly 3,000 visitors answered the Union County Heritage Festival invitation to “Take a Country Road” to historic Maynardville, the cradle of country music, for the 16th annual event on October 2.
Visitors clapped hands and tapped toes to tunes by Flashback, Southern Spirit, Norris Freeway, Sleepy Eyed John, The Gospel Strings, Joseph Hensley and Dustin Ford. They marveled at young Silas Tian's fiddle playing of “Millionaire's Hoedown” and celebrated Eric Nafziger, Austin Stovall, and Marshal Murphy as they placed first, second and third in the 3rd annual Heritage Fiddle Contest.
Patrons from as far away as Colorado and Michigan came to eat the barbecue, beans and cornbread and other home-cooked food. Rodney Malone's Hawg Heaven's BBQ won an Item of Distinction Award for his ribbon cut taters.
Tasha Brown's The Bake Shop also received an Item of Distinction Award for the gourmet cupcakes that completely sold out. Speaking of sold out, visitors bought the wood inlaid cutting boards that were also award an Item of Distinction so quickly that the photographer could not get a picture of even one board. Lynn Merritt of Seesaw Wood Products proudly accepted an Item of Distinction award for his wooden flag with spent gun shells representing the stars.
Morgan Burns of Mother Creations won an Item of Distinction for her handmade herbal soap and demonstrated the soap making process during the festival.
A & B Bookkeeping & Tax Service, owned by Tonya Atkins, took top honors of the Rocky Top Award for the best portrayal of the theme, “Take a Country Road” with sights along a country road.
Betty Bullen Art won the Best Heritage Booth Award for her timeline of Union County music, crafts, art, and culture exemplified in a series of oil paintings. Betty also painted the 2021 Heritage Festival print, “Cutting Time,” of tobacco ready for harvest.
Visitors meandered uphill to Veteran's Place to view about a dozen antique tractors, a blacksmith, a hand leather worker, and a corn grist mill. Kelvin Ryder of Four Elements Forge received the Best Demonstrator award for sharing his blacksmith talents as he hammered out an iron pot hook.
The Heritage Festival Committee thanks everyone who made the festival a success and looks forward to the 17th Union County Heritage Festival on October 1, 2022.
For more photos and contest winners visit historicunioncounty.com.