Summer 2009 Events in Galax, VA

If you are looking for something fun and interesting for the whole family to do this summer, then you need to check out these 2009 summer events going on in Galax, VA.

Coming to Galax, VA on June 12th and 13th is the annual Galax Leaf and String Festival. This festival features artists from around the region as well as local artists and musicians.

The event opens Friday at 12 noon with music at the Grayson Street Stage and at the Pickin' Stage at Barr's Fiddle Shop. The Historic Rex Theater will feature Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little on Friday night and the cost will be $8 at the door.

On Saturday, the 13th, the Chestnut Creek School of the Arts will be demonstrating the art of Blacksmithing, Pottery, Shadow Puppetry, Street Theater Techniques and much more.

The festival will end on Saturday with a Finale Square Dance featuring the music of the Grayson Highlands Band from 7 to 9 pm.

For more information and exact times of performances check out their website: visitgalax.com/leafandstringfestival.aspx

The next event to happen in Galax that is aimed at the bicycling enthusiasts is "Bicycling and Barbeque." This event takes place July 11th at 9:30 am. It starts at the Galax Recreation Center on Main Street in Downtown Galax. This is a non-competitive cycling event for cyclists of all ages.

The route will take cyclists through the communities of Carsonville, Peach Bottom, Independence, Pine Mountain, Delhart, Savannah and Fairview. The way that the route is setup allows the cyclists to add or eliminate mileage during the ride. The route is made up of two loops. Loop one is 45 miles long and loop two is only 25 miles long.
There will be at least 3 well-stocked rest stops along the way. The routes are clearly marked along the way but each rider is given a cue card at registration.

After your ride you can refresh in the clean showers at the newly renovated Galax Recreation Center and then be rewarded with a BBQ lunch at the registration area.

Cost of this event is $25 in advance and $30 on the day of the ride. If you pre-register 5 cyclists, you can add the 6th one for free. All proceeds go to the Free Clinic of Galax.

For more information visit the website galaxoutdoors.com/bbbq2009/bbbq2009main.html

The next summer event in Galax happens the following weekend on July 17th and 18th. Get ready for some great barbecue when you visit "Smoke on the Mountain." Live entertainment comes along with great barbecue at this festival. Check out the Galax Farmer's Market Stage on North Main Street between 4 and 11:30 pm for the great entertainment of "The Band of Oz" on Friday, July 17th and Saturday be sure to catch "The Tams." The cost of both of these shows is $10. The group "The Show Time Band" will open the show on both nights.

There will be two BBQ competitions on Friday. The "Anything Butt" category is where the teams are judge on sauces they use on anything from beef to seafood. The second category "Patio Porkers" is for local amatuers competing for a chance to enter as a professional team the next year.

On Saturday, the teams compete in whole hog, ribs and pork shoulder categories. If you hang around until after the judging you can visit the team booths for a free sampling.

For more information on "Smoke on the Mountain" you can call the Twin County Chanber of Commerce at 276-236-2184 or visit smokeonthemountainva.com.

The last and the biggest event of the summer in Galax, Va is one that no one that loves old mountain music will want to miss. It is Galax's 74th annual Old Fiddler's Convention. The event begins on Monday, August 3 and runs through Saturday, August 8th. Contestants of all ages and from all walks of life come to perform in front of an audience of thousands of old time music lovers.

It begins with the Fiddler's Youth competition at 5:30 pm on Monday. Tuesday begins with the Old Time Fiddle, Dobro and Mandolin competitions starting at 6 pm. Wednesday competitions include Bluegrass Fiddle, Dulcimer and the Bluegrass Banjo at 6 pm. Thursday is the Clawhammer Banjo, the Autoharp and Guitar competitions also starting at 6 pm. Friday is band night with the "Old Time Band and Bluegrass Band competitions at 6 pm. Saturday, the last day of the event, begins at 12 noon with competitions in the Folk Song and Flatfoot Dance categories. Starting at 6 pm, the Bluegrass Band and Old Time Band competiton will wind up the last night of the 74th annual Old Time Fiddler's Convention.

Fees for this event include ticket prices at $6 per person Monday through Thurday nights. Friday night tickets are $10 per person and Saturday tickets are $12 per person. If you want to enjoy the whole week of old time music you can purchase a season ticket at $40 per person. Children under 12 when accompainied by a paid escort are free. Contestant tickets are $40 per person and if camping, the fee is $70 per site. The campground opens on Sunday, August 2 at 7 am. If you are a perspective contestant, all registration forms must be postmarked no later than July 15th, 2009.

For more information about the Old Fiddler's Convention visit them on the web at oldfiddlersconvention.com/tickets/htm.