Appalachian Trail Festival set for Saturday, June 8 in Hillsboro

On June 8 Loudoun’s three officially designated Appalachian Trail Communities offer a daylong celebration of the 2,198-mile Trail, featuring four bands, dozens of vendors, an art show, “Trail Talks,” kid’s activities, food, locally crafted beers and wines, and more. The festival kicks off at 11 a.m. on the grounds of Hillsboro’s Old Stone School with some 40 vendors and non-profit organizations set up until 5 p.m. and performances on The Gap Stage until 8:30 p.m. A special Eat, Drink & Be Literary! featuring North Carolina Trail Artist Mike Wurman and an art show reception will kick of the Festival on Friday night.

Last year’s festival, held for the first time in Hillsboro, was a great success, said longtime AT Fest organizer Jody Brady. “With Hillsboro and Bluemont becoming Appalachian Trail Communities last year, joining Round Hill, we decided to collaborate to form the non-profit Loudoun Appalachian Trail Association to foster education and support for the Trail—and its hikers. With the support of our sponsors, the annual Festival is a great way to do just that.”

This year’s event features dozens of vendors offering hiking and outdoor gear, goods and crafts as well as non-profit educational and advocacy organizations—and plenty of fun activities for kids, including a climbing wall and pony rides, along with music, food and drink.

“The Town of Hillsboro is proud to once again host the Appalachian Trail Festival in collaboration with Round Hill and Bluemont and we are ready to welcome visitors and hikers from across the region,” said Hillsboro Mayor Roger Vance. “The AT is a national treasure, right in our own backyard, and this festival aims to encourage everyone to enjoy and support the Trail.”

In addition to artist Mike Wurman’s Friday night talk, the Art of The Trail Art Show will open at 6 p.m., with artwork from a variety of Trail artists that will be on display and for sale during the festival. A silent auction of donated items and artwork is also slated.

The Town of Round Hill will once again provide a variety of free kid’s activities, including a climbing wall. Mayor Scott Ramsey said the collaboration of Loudoun’s three Appalachian Trail Communities on the annual festival and year-round Trail support endeavors is an important way to promote and support the Trail. “One quarter of the entire AT is in Virginia, and three of the 60 Appalachian Trail Communities, from Georgia to Maine, are in Loudoun. The Trail is a wonderful natural asset for Loudoun.”

The Historic Village of Bluemont anchors the southern end of Loudoun’s AT Communities and is home to one of the AT’s most popular trail centers, Bear’s Den. “We are so pleased to be aligned with our neighboring communities,” said Bluemont resident and Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains President Peter Weeks. “This festival brings attention to the Trail and the urgent need to protect it and the Blue Ridge for present and future generations.”

The Friday night Eat, Drink & Be Literary featuring artist Mike Wurman starts at 7 p.m. at Hillsboro’s Old Stone School, with doors opening at 6. For tickets and information, visit OldStoneSchool.org.

Performers on Saturday are Short Hill Mountain Boys at 11:30 a.m., Justin Trawick & The Common Good at 1:30 p.m., Frank Soilvan & Jillian Lea at 3:30 p.m. and Shannon Bielski & Moonlight Drive at 5:30 p.m.

More information about the festival, including the lineup of Trail Talk speakers, the Appalachian Trail Art Show and Silent Auction, can be found at LoudounAT.org 

Key sponsors of the Loudoun Appalachian Trail Festival include Visit Loudoun, Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, Burnett & Williams Personal Injury Lawyers, Old Dominion Land Conservancy, Double D’s Dirt, Friends of The Blue Ridge Mountains, Hillsboro Preservation Foundation, Loudoun Now, Meadow’s Farms, Northern Virginia Orthodontics and Warm Peet.