Hillsville Labor Day Flea Market and Gun Show

In case you may have forgot (and, seriously, how could you?), Labor Day Weekend is synonymous with flea market in Hillsville (Va.).

Every Labor Day Weekend, the center of Hillsville turns into a tent city when hundreds of vendors set up camp and wares for an event that attracts throngs of people to this small Blue Ridge Mountain town.

Traffic slows down to a crawl along U.S. 58 as motorists dodge the pedestrians walking in the street because the sidewalks are full of people browsing the flea market finds.

The event kicked off this morning and will last through Monday.

Off of I-77 in Southwestern Virginia, take exit 14 (Galax/Hillsville). Turn right and you'll fall in line with the rest of the traffic trying to make its way through within a quarter of a mile.

Don't worry, there's plenty of parking and the friendly townfolk will point you in the right direction.

It could easily take you 3 days to walk the whole market, so feel free to book a room at the various hotels at the I-77 interchange, in Hillsville or Galax, just 12 miles west of Hillsville.

Twin County events this weekend

Looking for something to do this weekend and happen to be on the Blue Ridge Parkway or close enough to drive to the Twin Counties?

Then why don't you check out Smoke on the Mountain in Galax, Va., or Hillsville's Downtown Celebration. (Galax is pronounced "Gay-lax.")

Smoke on the Mountain
Smoke on the Mountain is the annual barbecue festival held in downtown Galax. It kicks off Friday with the first round of judging.

Your visit to the mountains of Southwest Virginia wouldn't be complete with a bit of bluegrass and oldtime music, now would it? So expect to hear some musical entertainment from 4-11:30 p.m. both days. (There will be bands and DJs playing other musical genres, so you won't get too burned out on the local traditional sounds if that's not your thing.)

After Saturday's round of judging, visitors can line up at the barbecue booths to sample the goods.

Other entertainment will include antique dealers and other vendors and the Bicycles and Barbecue, the annual non-competitive bicycling event.

The routes planned for Bicycles and Barbecue will take bikers through several Grayson County communities: Carsonville, Peach Bottom, Independence, Pine Mountain, Delhart, Savanah and Fairview.

To me, Peach Bottom and Delhart (where I lived for a year) are probably the most beautiful, scenic routes. If Fries (pronounced "freeze") were included, I'd say it would be on the top of the list for its view of the New River.

The ride begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Galax Recreation Center, 601 S. Main St.

For more information visit Smoke on the Mountain's Web site here.

Hillsville's Downtown Celebration
This will be Hillsville's third Downtown Celebration this summer. The celebrations feature a antique car cruise-in and beach music. The antique cars park along Main Street/U.S. 52 and some side streets. The music takes place in Jail House Square, located off of Main Street behind the downtown businesses.

The town built a wooden stage and a large sandy area, which I like to call the sandbox, in a town parking lot behind the downtown businesses. Well-attended, it's not uncommon to see adults dancing (usually the Shag) while kids build sand castles throughout the evening.

Vendors will also be sell concessions and, usually, there's a bounce house for the kids.

This weekend's entertainment is Jim Quick and Coastline.

This year Hillsville is hosting five celebrations. The next evets are Aug. 29 with The Mixed Emotions and The Craig Woolard Band and Sept. 12 with The Embers.

Music begins at 5 p.m.

For more information, visit the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce Web site here.

Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, N.C.

Another park Chris and I discovered recently on a day trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway was the Mount Jefferson State Natural Area in Jefferson, N.C.


We stopped by there yesterday on our way to search for North Carolina's New River State Park.


Driving up the mount, you wind through a middle class neighborhood. Toward the summit, the homes give way to an oak-chestnut forest.


There are two overlooks on the way up the mountain providing views of North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Although hazy, I could just pick out the outlines of Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain, the two tallest peaks in Virginia, located in Grayson County.




The road ends in a long parking lot. Off of that a path winds through a large picnic area, which includes one covered and one handicap accessible picnic areas.

Following the path through the picnic area leads visitors to the park's hiking trails: Summit Trail, Rhododendron Trail and Lost Province Trail. There's also an outcrop of rock, called Luther Rock, that gives a view of the valley below on three sides.

The trails are listed as moderate to strenuous and you should except a work out, although the trails are no more than 1.1 miles. The Summit Trail is 0.3 miles, Rhododendron Trail is a 1.1 mile loop and the Lost Providence Trail is a 0.75 mile loop off of the Rhododendron Trail.

It seems that the park is a popular picnicking area for the locals. The parking lot and picnic tables were full of families. We also met lots of people along the trails and on Luther Rock.

Common plants seen along the trail are rhododendron, laurel, oak, chestnut, birch, soloman and false soloman seal, bloodroot and jewelweed.

We also discovered a few new plants we'd never seen before -- a type of coreopsis we've never seen before, whorled loosestrife and purple-flowering raspberry.

This is a type of coreopsis.

Whorled Loosestrife

Purple-flowering Raspberry

There was plenty of wildlife to see too. We saw a groundhog, a bird that looked like a Northern bobwhite and a large chipmunk.

We met a couple who were peering through binoculars at a bird singing in a tree close to the Rhododendron Trail. I couldn't see it, but it sounded like a towhee, a black and orange bird. According to several bird guides, towhees sound like they are saying, "pick up your tea," with the second syllable stressed and the fourth syllable trilled.

Butterflies we saw included morning cloaks and frittilaries.

I think this would be a perfect place to go for a picnic and a short afternoon walk. But parts of the trails are strenuous. So if you have asthma or are not used to outdoor activities, just take it easy.

For more information, visit the Web site or contact the park at (336) 246-9653 or mount.jefferson@ncmail.net.

New River State Park, N.C.

While on vacation the week of June 29, Chris and I took a day trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway, visiting Doughton State Park and Moses H. Cone Memorial Park in North Carolina.

On our way home, we discovered North Carolina had its own New River State Park. Virginia's New River State Park and Trail is a 57 mile long biking, hiking and horse trail. We've walked on most of the Virginia trail and were happy to discover more recreational possibilities along the New.

So we took off yesterday toward North Carolina to explore this new park. The main access and visitors' center is located off of U.S. 221 in Ashe County. There are two other access points accessible by car located off of Wagoner Road and Kings Creek Road, following signs from U.S. 16.

Other access points are only accessible via canoe, including the Alleghany County Access area.

The park is divided into four areas, offering 2,200 acres of camping, fishing, canoeing, hiking and picnicking.

We explored the U.S. 221 access area where several campers and canoers were taking advantage of the weather.

Chris points to some canoers approaching the portage at the U.S. 221 access area.

The U.S. 221 access area has just completed a drive-in, RV camping area. It offers little shade right now, but does have nice gravel pads with fire rings and a hotwater bathhouse close by.

The visitors' center and ranger station is located next to this camping area. It's opened 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, but Christmas Day.

Tent camping is located next to the river and is accessed by walking 250 yards from a parking lot located near the boat portage area. I counted 16 sites, perfectly shaded with gravel pads and firerings. All were full.

A hotwater bathhouse and large picnic area were located nearby.

I would love to camp here. I'd enjoy listening to the river rush by and to the birds singing across the river and in the woods behind the camp sites. We heard several birds, including an owl across the river.

The U.S. 221 access offers a mile long loop trail called Hickory Trail. It features oak, hickory, laurel, rhododendron, joe pye weed, blackeyed susans, daisies, blackberries and swamp milkweed. It's a moderate trail so should be fairly easy for most outdoor enthusiasts.

Swamp milkweed was in bloom along the Hickory Trail.Some of the milkweed was 5 feet tall, the largest I've ever seen!

Lots of jewelweed (a.k.a. touch-me-not) lined the path to the primitive campsites next to the New River.

We think this is wild basil, although our wildflower texts say it's usually more pink. There were some pink spots on these flowers, although you can't see them here since the picture isn't that clear.

There was plenty of wildlife around too. We saw dragonflies and morning cloak, wood nymph and frittilary butterflies.

There was also a bright blue bird, most likely an indigo bunting, and deer. Although indigo buntings are actually black, sunlight makes the birds feathers look bright blue.

This little bunny was resting at the edge of the parking lot at the U.S. 221 access portage.

You could see hellbenders, a salamaner that can grow as large as 2 feet long, along the edge of the New. The hellbenders' habitat is threatened, so if you see this aquatic creature, its best to leave it alone. We didn't see one, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

The New River State Park also offers a community building and a covered picnic area for those looking to rent facilities for gatherings.

For more information, visit the park's Web site or contact the park at (336) 982-2587 or new.river@ncmail.net.

Poetry Reading

John Thomas York has announced he and fellow poet, Elizabeth "Beth" Lindsey Rogers, will recite some of their poetry at 8 p.m. July 8 at Tate Street Coffee House, 334 Tate Street, Greensboro, N.C.

From the press release:

York grew up in Yadkin County, N.C., and has degrees from Wake Forest and Duke Universities. He's also received a master's in fine arts in creative writing from University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

York's work has appeared in "Appalachian Journal," "International Poetry Review," "Greensboro Review" and other regional journals.

His poetry chapbook, "Johnny's Cosmology," was published by the Hummingbird Press of Winston-Salem, N.C.

Beth Rogers grew up in Greensboro where she attended Southeast Guilford High School and Early College at Guilford. Rogers graduated from Oberlin College in 2007, majoring in writing and dance.

From 2007-09, Rogers served as an Oberlin Shansi Fellow, teaching and living in rural China.

Rogers' poetry has appeared in "The Chautauqua Literary Journal," "The Country Dog Review" and on "Poetry Daily."

This fall, Rogers begins the master's in fine arts program in creative writing at Cornell University.

Marathon in High Point?

This may sounds silly, but I'm excited to hear that High Point (N.C.) may host the N.C. Marathon this year.

I thought about participating in the first marathon, held in Greensboro last year, but didn't because it was the weekend after my wedding. So I had other things on my mind. [wink, wink]

Also, my plans to participate in that race, or 5K races last year, were derailed by health problems. So training was missed a few weeks at a time.

I would like to think I'd be able to run a race this year, but don't want to get my hopes up.

So far, I can jog 30 minutes straight, but that's inside on a treadmill at a gym with controlled conditions.

Outside would be a different matter. To compete in a race, I will eventually need to take the training outside where I'd have to learn to pace myself and deal with allergens and other conditions that will affect my lungs. My allergies and asthma have gotten worse the past year and half and I'd have to work hard to learn how to manage those for a race.

As a side note, nonprofit GO FAR held a 5K in High Point last year.