97th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival
August 1 - August 3
On August 1, 2, and 3, 2024, a different show will be presented live on stage each evening allowing you to appreciate the talent and dedication of the hundreds of musicians, dancers, and storytellers who are preserving the traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. These traditions involve not only the hand-clapping, toe-tapping rhythms of Bluegrass, the style and stories of century-old ballads, the high energy of clogging, the elegance of Big Circle Mountain Smooth Dance, the fun and entertainment of storytelling, but also include an awareness of the hardships and trials that have brought us to this place and time.
This 97th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival® has been made possible through the generosity of our music community volunteering their time and talent to preserve and promote the Southern Appalachian music, dance and storytelling heritage.
The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival was founded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford as a means for people to share and understand the beauty and dignity of the Southern Appalachian music and dance traditions that have been handed down through generations in western North Carolina. He saw the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival grow to be the oldest gathering of its kind in the nation and it continues in this way, a platform for the talented of the high country lying between the Great Smoky and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Since 1928, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival has served a crucial role in raising awareness and understanding of the vitality and importance of Southern Appalachian culture throughout the region, nation and world. Bascom Lunsford’s mission was to present the finest of the Appalachian ballad singers, string bands and square dance teams for education and entertainment. The songs and dances shared at this event echo centuries of Scottish, English, Irish, Cherokee and African heritage found in the valleys and coves between the Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lunsford’s was the first dubbed a folk festival, and he later consulted with many communities across the country interested in organizing similar festivals.
2024 Program and Performers (Tentative Line-Up)
Thursday, August 1, 2024 – 7:00-9:00 pm
- Welcome and Introduction of Ed Herron…..Korey Warren
- History and Introduction of Emcees Carol Rifkin and John Roten…..Ed Herron
- Stoney Creek Boys… “Grey Eagle”
- Dancers
- Hometown Dance Team
- Michael Reno Harrell
- Brandon Johnson and Friends
- Songs From The Road Band
- Green Valley Cloggers
- Roger Howell
- Buncombe Turnpike
- Richard Hurley
- Intermission
- Becky Stone
- Sons of Ralph
- Balsam Mountain Cloggers
- Tim McWilliams
- Nobody’s Darling String Band
- Whitewater Bluegrass Company
Friday, August 2, 2024 – 7:00-9:00 pm
- Welcome and Introduction of Ed Herron…..Ben Scales
- History and Introduction of Emcees Laura Boosinger and John Roten…..Ed Herron
- Stoney Creek Boys…”Grey Eagle”
- Dancers
- Cole Mountain/Smooth
- Maggie Lauterer/Zack Allen
- Newfound Gap
- Sheila Kay Adams
- Hickory Flat Hoedowners/Clog
- Laura Boosinger
- Jerry and Bailee
- Emeline Scales/Ben Scales
- Intermission
- Cole Mountain/Clog
- Donna Ray Norton
- Ted White/Bill Byerly
- The Peg Twisters
- Hickory Flat Hoedowners/Smooth Bearwallow Bluegrass Band
Saturday, August 3, 2024 – 7:00-9:00 pm
- Welcome and Introduction of Ed Herron…..Bill Wolcott
- History and Introduction of Emcees Richard Hurley and John Roten…..Ed Herron
- Stoney Creek Boys…Grey Eagle
- Dancers
- Little River/Smooth
- Hightop Mountain Harmony
- Don Pedi
- Sourwood Ridge
- Southern Highlanders
- Jeanette Queen
- The Waymasters
- Southern Appalachian Cloggers Intermission
- Marlee Merritt
- Josh Goforth
- Little River Cloggers
- Appalachian Consort
- Carol Rifkin
- Mountain Tradition Cloggers White Rock Revival
