Grayson Highlands Fall Festival

The 48th annual Fall Festival at Grayson Highlands will be held Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29, in the Picnic Area of Grayson Highlands State Park. This community event is sponsored by the Rugby Rescue Squad and Volunteer Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary, with assistance from the Virginia Division of State Parks. This year's festival will feature live bluegrass and old-time music, barbecued chicken dinners, molasses-making and other demonstrations of pioneer living in addition to the crafts fair. The auction of "wild" pony colts, sponsored by the Wilburn Ridge Pony Association, will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

We invite you to participate in our crafts fair, and hope that you can join us for this weekend of traditional music, crafts sales, and home-cooked food in a setting of unparalleled natural beauty.

Craft booth spaces are 12' X 12' and are pre-assigned. The fee for one space is $50.00. Double spaces (12' X 24') can be rented for 100.00. Please make your check or money order payable to "Fall Festival Crafts Committee" and return it with the completed application form to the address below. Application deadline is September 15th. Applications are avalible online on our contact page.

All first-time applicants must submit five or more good-quality photographs of their work with the application form. These photos must be a true and accurate representation of work for sale at the Festival. If items which were not juried are made available for sale at the Festival, exhibitors may be asked to remove them from their booth.

The jurying committee will determine acceptance based on quality of workmanship and appropriateness of items. Items for sale at the Fall Festival at Grayson Highlands must be made by the applicant. Items which are not acceptable include those made from commercial kits, foods, T-shirts, sweatshirts, ball caps, and items that are put together from purchased parts and/or show little hand work. Any items made with a cricut machine such as tumblers are not allowed.

Payment for space must be sent with application. If a vendor is not accepted payment will be returned.

When a crafts vendor is notified of his acceptance, he will receive a pass that will exempt that crafts vendor from parking fees charged by the park on the Friday (10.00), Saturday (5.00), and Sunday (15.00) of the Festival (September 27-28). These passes may not be transferred to any other visitor and are good for only one vehicle per day.

Exhibitors can begin to set up between noon and 8 p.m. on Friday (Sept.27), or after 8 a.m. on Saturday. Setting up must be completed and all vehicles must be out of the booth area by 10 a.m. Vehicles will not be allowed back into the booth area before 5 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Craft vendors are expected to keep their booths open until the official closing on both days.

No crafts vendors will be allowed to stay overnight in the fair area. The entire area will be closed to the public at 10 p.m., and, for safety and protection of Festival materials and equipment, state park personnel will be on duty in the area throughout the night.

Craftspeople who wish to camp in the park's campground should make reservations as soon as possible by calling the reservation office at 1-800-933-PARK during regular business hours 9 am through 5 pm Monday through Friday, except on state holidays. Camping fees in Grayson Highlands start at $25.00 per regular campsite or 35.00 per site with water and electrical hookups.