Heritage Days facts for kids
Heritage Days is a super fun yearly festival that happens in downtown Rogersville, Tennessee. It's a three-day event in the second weekend of October, packed with arts, crafts, and awesome entertainment right on the street! This festival started way back in 1978 and celebrates the harvest season and the town's cool history.
The Story of Heritage Days
The very first Heritage Days happened in October 1978. Even though it rained a lot, a small crowd gathered in Rogersville's town square. They wanted to raise money for a new group called the Rogersville Heritage Association.
This group wanted to "preserve, protect, promote, and celebrate" the history of Rogersville, Tennessee. They dreamed of a yearly event to remember the town's past. They also wanted it to be like the harvest festivals held in Rogersville after the American Civil War in the 1800s.
Heritage Days Today
Heritage Days has grown a lot since it started! Now, almost 40,000 people come to the festival. That's more than six times the number of people who live in Rogersville!
The festival is still put on by the Rogersville Heritage Association. You can still find amazing artists, craftspeople, and entertainers there. Many of them keep alive the old mountain arts and ways of life. These traditions are slowly disappearing from the hills of East Tennessee.
The Southeast Tourism Society is a group that helps promote tourism. They have called Heritage Days a "Top Twenty Event in the Southeast for October." The festival has also won many awards from Tennessee Festivals and Events. In 2014, a musician named Oliver Pelle even performed on Main Street during Heritage Days.
