trail workin’ and square dancin’

As the cold settles in and the outside world seems to start its winter sleep, our team is still at work (and resisting the urge to hibernate until next festival!) 

On October 5, we hosted a work day at Bears Den.  Caretaker Glen lined up projects and a happy band of volunteers came to get the work done. Together, we fixed up the entrance driveway, cleaned up trails and the overlook, stacked firewood, and repaired privy roofs and vents. And we got to connect with dozens of A.T. hikers and scouts to talk about the A.T. and the work of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC.) (Sad you missed this? Visit www.patc.net for more opportunities to get out and do some trail work!)

In November we (along with the Town of Hillsboro and the Winchester Old Time Jam) were proud to co-sponsor Up From The Mud, a square dance benefit for the North Carolina Arts Foundation Disaster Relief Fund. Like many of you, as Helene tore through the southeast in October, our thoughts turned to our friends and loved ones along its path. Among these was Asheville-based artist and friend-of-the-festival Mike Wurman. 

​This June, Mike spoke at Eat Drink and Be Literary in Hillsboro the night before the festival and was also featured at the festival’s A.T. Art Show. Mike made the journey from Asheville to Hillsboro once again for Up From The Mud, brought friends - Mark Harmon and Scott Varn, two more hiker-artists from Asheville whose lives were upended by the storm. 

Before the dancing began, Scott Varn spoke about the remarkable mission of his organization, Preserving A Picturesque America, a nonprofit which raises funds for land preservation through art. Appalachian Trail Conservancy CEO Sandi Marra delivered remarks, fresh off a tour of the area hardest hit by Helene. While full recovery will take years, both Sandi Marra and the artists all spoke of the incredible community support in the time since the disaster. 

With music from the Furnace Mountain Trio and the Barnstormers and calling by Ron Buchanan, we danced the night away all while raising over $3000 for the NCAF Disaster Relief Fund and $1000 for the Appalachian Trail Resiliency Fund.

As any hiker knows, the Appalachian Trail is not just a path through the woods - it’s a trail that connects us and builds up communities. We are so glad that the Appalachian Trail has connected our community to these artists and we hope they’ll make the journey up again soon.