Autumn Leaves Festival in Downtown Mount Airy - Oct. 10-12

It's festival season, and we had a great time at Mayberry Days last weekend! Now it is time for our big fall festival, the Autumn Leaves Festival, with over 200 Arts and Crafts Vendors, delicious local food vendors, business displays, bluegrass/old-time jam sessions, and a large bandstand featuring our rich musical heritage, with local bluegrass, old-time, and gospel music! It's a toe-tapping, foot-stomping, hand-clapping, kind of weekend! This year is the 48th anniversary of one of North Carolina's longest-running and most successful festivals! The Autumn Leaves Festival is consistently ranked as one of the top 20 festivals in the southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The Arts and Crafts vendors will feature a wide variety of products, and many will demonstrate their crafts! There is plenty of food for the soul with the infamous collard green sandwiches (it's worth the wait in line for this uniquely southern food), Surry County's own unique ground steak sandwiches, roasted corn on the cob, homemade apple butter made on the street, country ham biscuits, hamburgers and hotdogs, pinto beans, bologna sandwiches, bbq, ribs, Amish donuts, funnel cakes, homemade desserts, kettle corn, fried apple pies, bloomin' onions, and SO MUCH MORE! Food vendors feature local civic and service organizations. For a list of specific food and arts/crafts vendors, click here: Link to list of vendors The Collard Green Sandwiches are always popular each year at the Autumn Leaves Festival!

The festival began as a celebration of the end of the tobacco and apple harvesting season, over 45 years ago. Now, we celebrate the breathtaking fall season that is upon us, with the leaves beginning to display their brilliant colors. Visit the Autumn Leaves Festival and enjoy the flavor of rural America and its distinctive character, rich heritage and scenic beauty. The area is particularly beautiful at this time of year when there's still a chance to catch some warm sunshine and the leaves start taking on their brilliant colors. This is where shadows last a little longer, doors open a little wider, conversation lasts a little longer and the spirit of our community has a captivating quality on everyone who visits. This great community once again puts out the "WELCOME" mat and invites one and all to come and experience the true spirit of America's Hometown!

ALL PETS are strictly prohibited inside of the festival boundaries. Admission is free to the festival. The hours of the festival are 9-9 on Friday and Saturday and 12-6 on Sunday. A free shuttle will run from the north and south end of the festival and will also be on-call for select hotels in Mount Airy. Please call 336-786-6116 for more information about the shuttle and the Autumn Leaves Festival in general.

AUTUMN LEAVES FESTIVAL BANDSTAND SCHEDULE Friday, Oct. 10 11:30 a.m. - Opening Ceremony 11:50-12:35 - The Foothills Band (bluegrass) 12:35 - 1:20 - Crossriver (gospel) 1:20 - 2:05 - Over the Hill Bluegrass Band 2:05 - 2:50 - The Mountain Ivy Band (old-time) 2:50 - 3:35 - Hubert Lawson & The Bluegrass Country Boys 3:35 - 4:20 - The Hard Times Band (bluegrass) 4:20 - 5:05 - Snow Creek Old Time Band 5:05 - 5:50 - 2 Young 2 Old (bluegrass) 5:50 - 6:35 - The Old Time Buddies 6:35 - 7:20 - Mountain Park Old Time Band 7:20 - 8:05 - The South Carolina Broadcasters (old time) 8:05 - 9:00 - Trish Fore & The Old Time Pals Saturday, Oct. 11 9:15 - 10:00 - The Mainline Gravy Soppers (old time) 10:00 - 10:40 - Plank Road Bluegrass 10:40 - 11:20 - Farmington Bluegrass 11:20 - 12:00 - Bluegrass & Beyond 12:00 - 12:45 - Dixie Moon (bluegrass) 12:45 - 1:30 - Fisher's Peak Timber Rattlers (old time) 1:30 - 2:15 - The Dewey Murphy Band (bluegrass) 2:15 - 3:00 - Possum Hollow Old-Time String Band 3:00 - 3:45 - Narrow Road (gospel) 3:45 - 4:30 - The Country Boys (bluegrass) 4:30 - 5:15 - The Buckstankle Boys (bluegrass) 5:15 - 6:00 - Slate Mountain Boys (old time) 6:00 - 6:45 - The Woodchuckers (old time) 6:45 - 7:30 - The Marshall Brothers & Highroad (bluegrass) 7:30 - 8:15 - The Zephyr Lightning Bolts (old time) 8:15 - 9:00 - The Nunn Brothers (bluegrass) Sunday, Oct. 12 1:00 - 2:00 - Cranford Creek Bluegrass 2:00 - 3:00 - Crossroad (bluegrass) 3:00 - 4:00 - Rich in Tradition (bluegrass) 4:00 - 5:00 - Highway 52 (bluegrass) For more information about the Autumn Leaves Festival, visit www.autumnleavesfestival.com and/or call 336-786-6116. Don't forget - add the hashtag #AutumnLeaves to your photos and we may share them on Twitter and Facebook! Also, for a list of local accommodations, go to www.visitmayberry.com!