Celebrating the Appalachian Trail in Round Hill

Following 2,190 miles of mountain ridge lines, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail crosses 14 states, from Maine to Georgia. It’s the longest and oldest marked footpath in the country —and in Round Hill, the town is lucky enough to have the A.T. right in its own backyard.

The town’s inaugural festival in 2019 celebrated Round Hill’s official designation as an

A.T. Community, recognizing the Trail as a community asset and pledging to support

ongoing Trail stewardship. This June 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the third Round Hill Appalachian Trail

Festival will be held at B Chord Brewing in western Loudoun County.

Discover a new day hike, hear tales from the trail and enjoy live music—plus enjoy

kids’ activities, vendors, food trucks and beverages from B Chord Brewing and Williams

Gap Vineyard. The festival also goes “hands on,” with activities and demos like trail

cooking, nature art, hammock camping, pony rides, and more.

Musical Lineup

Noon: Returning to the Round Hill A.T. Festival music stage are Fiddlin’ Dave &

Morgan. The couple (half the Furnace Mountain Band) have been blending the sounds

of the fiddle and octave-mandolin for almost 30 years. They have toured China,

Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the Baltics playing and singing their unique mixture of

originals and Old-Time fiddle tunes/world music.

2 p.m. The Fly Birds, an award-winning, alternative bluegrass quartet, takes the stage

next. Together their voices produce amazing harmonies, accompanied by Elizabeth

Baker on banjo, Mary Dunlap on bass, Sarah Twigg on guitar, and Crystal Shipley on

fiddle.

4 p.m. The festival welcomes Frank Solivan and Jillian Lea to the B Chord stage this

year. This duo is a pairing of bluegrass superstar and multi-Grammy nominee Frank

Solivan (of the Dirty Kitchen Band) and Celtic-folk artist Jillian Lea. The raw simplicity

and intimate harmonies of their music is a melding of bluegrass, Celtic, classic Country,

jazz and folk.

Main Speakers Lineup

11 a.m. Adventures Close to Home: A Day-Hike Panel Discussion. Learn about

trails to try out in your own “backyard.” Moderated by Sean Lloyd (Round Hill Outdoors)

and featuring favorite hikes from Sandi Marra (Appalachian Trail Conservancy), Juanita

Tool (Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains), Robert Pollard (Blue Ridge Center for

Environmental Stewardship) and others.

1 p.m. Going the Distance: A Section—and Thru-Hiker Panel. Moderator and thru-hiker

Charlie “Popeye” Billingsley tells “tales from the trail” along with section

hiker/author/adventurer Jeff Ryan, A.T. legend Warren Doyle and other past and

present long-distance hikers.

3 p.m. A Conversation with Warren Doyle: Why Hike? Where the Trail Can Lead

You. With nine Appalachian Trail thru hikes and nine section hikes under his belt,

Warren Doyle has hiked the A.T. more than anyone else. Doyle believes the Trail can

“show the way,” as hikers learn to better navigate the “real world” from their trail days in

the woods.

Featured organizations

• Appalachian Trail Conservancy

• Potomac Appalachian Trail Club

• Appalachian Mountain Club

• Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

• American Hiking Society

• A.T. Museum

• Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains

• Blue Ridge Wildlife Center

• VA Master Naturalists—Banshee Reeks

• Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship

• Potomac Riverkeepers Network

• Piedmont Environmental Council

Round Hill AT, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, puts on this free, family-friendly celebration of the

A.T. and the Great Outdoors. Major sponsors include REI Co-op, Warm Peet, Friends of

the Blue Ridge Mountains, Meadows Farms, H2Land Company and the Town of Round

Hill. Venue: B Chord Brewing, 34266 Williams Gap Rd, Round Hill.

For more information, see the festival’s FaceBook feed @roundhillat and visit the Round

Hill Appalachian Trail Festival website: https://www.roundhillat.org.