THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR A FANTASTIC 2024 FESTIVAL!
YOU'LL FIND INFORMATION BELOW FROM OUR 2024 EVENT.
CHECK BACK IN LATE SUMMER FOR UPDATES ON OUR NEXT FALL FESTIVAL, SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 10 - 12, 2025!
---
OCTOBER 11 - 13, 2024 ***
County-wide
Celebrate the beauty and bounty of fall with the annual Hands & Harvest Festival in Highland County, Virginia!
Transport yourself to working farms, arts & crafts, and delicious food amidst outstanding fall foliage.
Enjoy a fun family-friendly weekend in our rural mountain community!
*** Check back often as this page is updated frequently until the festival begins! ***
For more updates, follow us at www.facebook.com/HighlandCounty or www.instagram.com/highland_county_va.
Click to view and download our promotional rack card. To order a physical copy, visit our brochures page.
virginia.org
Want to know when fall colors will peak across Virginia? Check out this Fall Foliage Report and sign up to receive updates!
2024 Sponsors
*** GOLD LEVEL
* Silver Level
* Silver Level
* Silver Level
* Silver Level
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level
* Bronze Level
* Bronze Level
* Bronze Level
* Bronze Level
* Bronze Level 
* Bronze Level
* Bronze Level
* Bronze Level
* Bronze Level
*** Bath Community Hospital
106 Park Drive, Hot Springs (Located in neighboring Bath County)
Emergency Care: 24/7
At Bath Community Hospital, we take the health of our community to heart. Our providers, nurses, and staff are committed to improving health and wellness in our community. We offer a wide range of services to include four primary care locations, a rehab and wellness center, a pharmacy, and round-the-clock emergency services at the main hospital in Hot Springs.
*** Bath Community Hospital is a Gold Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
* The Highland Center
61 Highland Center Drive off of Spruce Street in Monterey
The Highland Center preserves Monterey’s historical school building as a community center to cultivate economic, cultural, and social opportunities for Highland County.
* The Highland Center is a Silver Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
Interested in being listed here as a Sponsor or Official Participant?
Contact the Chamber for details at director@highlandcounty.org or 540-468-2550.
2024 Hands & Harvest Events
2024 Map with Daily Schedule
Plan your adventure! View and download the front and back of our official 2024 map by clicking on the images above.
During the festival, pick up physical copies at the Courthouse Lawn in Monterey, Highland County Visitor Center at 27 W. Main Street in Monterey, or at various locations around Highland County!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT JUST A 3-PAGE DAILY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ON STANDARD 8.5 X 11 INCH PAPER
2024 Entertainment - FREE!
Michael Bedwell
165 West Main Street, Monterey
Friday at the Courthouse during the Arts & Crafts Show: 3 - 6 pm • FREE!
Michael Bedwell, a retired educator and Monterey resident, enjoys playing guitar and singing an eclectic mix of Americana, bluegrass, folk, rock, folk rock, and any other song that tickles his fancy.
Andy's Bug Train
165 West Main Street, Monterey
Saturday at the Courthouse during the Arts & Crafts Show: 11 am - 2 pm • FREE!
All aboard! Calling all kids to take a short ride on Andy's Bug Train next to the Arts & Crafts at the Highland County Courthouse.
* Larnell Starkey & The Spiritual Seven
The Highland Center at 61 Highland Center Drive in Monterey
Saturday: 4 pm • FREE!
This talented group of Gospel singers known by many as the “Gospel Temptations” have been entertaining audiences for over 53 years. They are proud to be apart of Virginia's history as a family group started and presently residing in the state. This award-winning group is guaranteed to move you! Come on out and enjoy as part of the Highland County Arts Council's Second Saturday concert series. This performance is free for all ages thanks to sponsorships from local churches! Assistance for those who need handicap accessibility will be available.
The Highland County Arts Council supports and encourages artists by holding classes, workshops, and camps. They facilitate regular exhibits and performances with local artists and artisans.
* The Highland County Arts Council is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
* Square Dance Workshop and Dance with Ellen and Eugene Ratcliffe
The Highland Center at 61 Highland Center Drive in Monterey
Saturday: 7 - 9 pm • FREE!
Get ready for the Sunday Street Dance with a Square Dance Workshop and Dance from experienced local callers Ellen and Eugene Ratcliffe! Don't be shy - join in the fun! (Photo courtesy Michael Bedwell)
Sunday Street Dance featuring the Little Switzerland Cloggers and Square Dance Callers Ellen and Eugene Ratcliffe
Spruce Street in Downtown Monterey next to the Highland County Courthouse
Sunday: 1 - 3 pm • FREE! • Bring your own lawn chairs!
Enjoy watching and participating in a good ol' fashioned Street Dance, featuring The Little Switzerland Cloggers and experienced local callers Ellen and Eugene Ratcliffe. The Little Switzerland Cloggers, one of the oldest Clogging groups in Virginia, began performing in 1985 and enjoy entertaining audiences at fairs, festivals, events, parties, and corporate events throughout Virginia and West Virginia. Since they strive to have something for everyone in their shows, their routines feature a wide variety of music from bluegrass and country to oldies and today’s top hits. Whether you’re 8 or 80, you'll enjoy their performance! For more information on the Little Switzerland Cloggers or their studio classes, visit www.sundancestudio.net.
2024 Arts & Crafts, Specialty Food
Shop for special gifts and food with the following unique vendors at the Highland County Courthouse Lawn!
On Friday, enjoy acoustic music off the porch of the courthouse between 3 and 6 pm from local artist Michael Bedwell!
165 West Main Street in Downtown Monterey
Friday: Noon – 6 pm • Saturday: 9 am – 5 pm • Sunday: 11 am – 4 pm
25th Annual Sweater Sale from Little Big Dog Rescue
Prepare for winter with our popular sweater sale - for people and dogs - to support this 501c3 nonprofit dog rescue
Ann Smith
Pictures using epoxy, stones, flowers, and miscellaneous items, as well as ceramic toothpick holders
AshTheArtist
Paintings, printed cards, sewn items, floral items, candy, jewelry, photography, holiday décor
Blackthorn Lavender
Lavender value-added products
Creations by Lynn
Crystal and gemstone jewelry, bracelets, necklaces, wind chimes, dream catchers
Felting Farmer Lady
Fiber arts: needle felted sculpture, ecoprinted scarves and shawls, handspun yarns, woven rugs
Fiber & Jewels
Baskets, jewelry, painting, knitting
Flora's Finest at Bolton Farm
Wine charms, wine stoppers, magnets, coasters, bookmarks, hatbands, and jewelry using acrylic paints and alcohol inks (each piece is one-of-a-kind). Unique pieces from paper, gemstones, sea glass, and carnival glass. Fiber art scarves. All-natural aromatherapy products using only essential oils.
Frontier Culture Museum
Fudge, rock candy, hand-dipped candles, s-hooks, drive hooks hand forged, bonnets, wooden muskets, gem necklaces
Hazy's Harvest Press
Hand printed goods
Highland Farmers’ Market
Highland County Courthouse Lawn (Moved from The Highland Center pavilion)
Friday ONLY!
Get your local fresh produce, gifts, and more!
Mill Gap Farms
Alpaca and wool products, organic maple products, farm house décor
Puff's BBQ from Southernmost Maple
Puff's Maple Pork BBQ, beef brisket, hamburgers, hot dogs, country ham, fries, and chili cheese fries. Dinners include baked beans and coleslaw. Fresh-squeezed lemonade, sweet tea, soda, and water.
Friday and Saturday ONLY!
Rexrode Sugar Maple Orchard
Wood-cooked maple syrup and maple products
Shadowlands Farm LLC
Selling frozen and on-site cooked pastured raised chicken and pork from Highland County, Virginia
Sun & Spruce Soaps
Handmade soaps, scrubs, body butters, candles, lotions, beard oils, shower oils, room sprays, flower baths, shower steamers, bath bombs
Sunny Day Designs
Handmade thrown-on-the-wheel utilitarian pottery, including dinnerware, garden pots, vases, and monster-themed pottery. Dinnerware is food, microwave, and dishwasher safe.
Our 2024 vendor deadline has passed.
Please contact director@highlandcounty.org or call 540-468-2550 if you'd like to be added to wait list.
* Back Creek Farms
7781 Upper Back Creek Road, Monterey (From Rt. 84, 3.5 miles northeast on Rt. 600)
Friday: 10 am – 4 pm • Saturday: 9 am - 5 pm • Sunday: Noon - 4 pm
Enjoy this sugar camp with pure, infused, and barrel-aged syrups. Bring your own apples and make cider on their cider press throughout the weekend, or make apple butter in their copper kettle on Saturday starting at 9 am. Chili, cornbread, and drinks will be served by donation.
* Back Creek Farms is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival
Elegius Mini Equine Sanctuary
4661 Doe Hill Road, McDowell (5 miles northeast of McDowell on Rt. 654)
Friday: 1 - 4 pm • Saturday: 1 - 5 pm • Sunday: 1 - 4 pm
Walk the farm and interact with mini equine in residence! Free, with donations appreciated. Sturdy shoes recommended. Pets not permitted.
* Fair Lawn Farm (Duff's Sugar House)
3118 Mill Gap Road, Monterey (7 miles south of Monterey in Meadowdale on Rt. 84)
Friday and Saturday: 9 am - 5 pm • Sunday: 9 am - 3 pm
Bring the entire family to this Victorian homestead, farm, and sugar camp to pick a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, sample in-house smoked cheese, and taste fresh apple butter and cider.
* Fair Lawn Farm is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival
* Hazy Hollow Farm
1784 Cowpasture Road N., Headwaters (On Rt. 614 just under 2 miles north of Rt. 250)
Saturday and Sunday: 9 am - 4 pm
Visit this working cattle farm for cattle viewing and to purchase 100% grass fed Angus Meat directly from the farmers.
* Hazy Hollow Farm is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival
* Highland Barn Quilts Studio
2608 Meadowdale Road, Monterey (On Rt. 640 between Meadowdale and Hightown)
Saturday: 10 am – 4 pm
At this open studio, view the process of painting barn quilts (painted quilt designs on wood) with artist Margie Boesch.
* Did you know that Highland County is home to Virginia's first barn quilt trail? Click here to discover more about the Highland County Barn Quilt Trail.
* Highland Barn Quilts is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival
Laurel Fork Sapsuckers Sugar Camp
10677 Mountain Turnpike, Hightown (10 miles west of Monterey on Clay Hise Lane)
Friday: 10 am - 2 pm • Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm
Friday apple peeling; Saturday apple butter cooking, sugar camp tours, hiking trails with scenic views, food available
Mill Gap Farms
2760 Mill Gap Road, Monterey (7 miles south of Monterey in Meadowdale on Rt. 84)
Saturday: 9 am – 5 pm
Tour of USDA Certified Organic Maple Syrup operation. Products for sale on farm and Highland County Courthouse.
* Southernmost Maple
7738 Big Valley Road, Bolar
Friday and Saturday: 9 am – 5 pm (Bluegrass music starting at noon on Saturday)
Family fun! Enjoy old-fashioned apple butter and cider making, a free trout pond for kids, and a country store offering Puffs Maple BBQ, sauces, maple syrup, Maple Donuts, cheeses, jams, jellies, baked goods, and Amish-made rockers. Browse vendors, and view old-fashioned blacksmith demonstrations. Bluegrass music starts at noon on Saturday. Hot food served all day with inside dining available. Handicapped accessible.
* Southernmost Maple is a Silver Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival
* Sugar Tree Country Store
185 Mansion House Road, McDowell
Friday and Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm
Watch the old-time way of making apple butter, tour their maple producing facility, and shop merchandise in the country store.
* Sugar Tree Country Store is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival
2024 Activities & Attractions
5K Fall Color Run by the Highland County Recreation Commission
78 Highland Park Drive, Monterey
Saturday: 10 am Start Time (In-person registration from 9 - 9:45 am)
Join in the fun with the 5K Fall Color Run! The 5k Fall Color Run is a five-kilometer, untimed event. Color Runners are covered from head to toe in fall-colored powder. Participants wear white at the starting line and finish the race plastered in fall color. Register directly here!
- Adult (18 years and older) - $35.00
- Child (17 years and younger) - $25.00
- Student Athletes - $25.00
Charles Pinckney Jones House Museum
144 West Main Street, Monterey
Friday: 11 am - 4 pm • Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm • Sunday: 11 am - 4 pm
The community’s new museum! Tour the beautiful renovations of this historic Highland County home and gardens.
* Highland County Public Library Annual Used Book Sale
31 North Water Street, Monterey
Friday: 9 am - 6 pm • Saturday: 9 am - 5 pm • Sunday: 11 am - 3 pm
The popular Annual Used Book Sale to benefit the Highland County Public Library includes thousands of books, movies, music, games and puzzles. The 2nd Annual Community Tiny Art Show will be open for display in the library meeting room.
* The Highland County Public Library is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
* Historic Highland Inn Renovation Information and Monterey Walking Tours
68 West Main Street, Monterey
Friday: 3 - 5 pm • Saturday and Sunday: 11 am - 3 pm with Historic Monterey Walking Tour both days at Noon!
Historic Highland Inn Renovation Project volunteers will be available to talk about what has been done and what is to come! Literature will also be available from a display in front. Stop in at noon on Saturday and Sunday for free Historic Monterey Walking Tours! Tours last approximately 30 minutes.
* The Blue Grass Resource Center (nonprofit owner of The Highland Inn) is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
Sounding Knob Fire Tower
On top of Jack Mountain (just east of Monterey) up a gravel drive up Sounding Knob Road just 1.3 miles south of its intersection with Rt. 250
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: Sunrise to sunset
Climb over 100 steps for a lasting memory – and maybe some wobbly legs! This restored fire tower boasts breathtaking views.
* Please be sure to exit right when leaving Sounding Knob Road and entering Rt. 250. Vehicles with very low clearance may have difficulty with water breaks on Sounding Knob Road, but most vehicles have no issues.
* The Rock Shop at Heart and Soul Massage School
127 West Main Street, Monterey
Friday: Noon - 6 pm • Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm • Sunday: 12:30 am - 5 pm
Bring the kids to do some gemstone mining while you shop Bohemian and Western theme clothing. Local artisans on-site, too.
* Heart and Soul Massage School is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
Valley AeroSpace Team Rocket Launch
Launch is held at Jack Mountain Village, just 3 miles south on Rt. 220 from the Monterey intersection of Rt. 250 and Rt. 220. It is located on the eastern side of Rt. 220 at an approximate address of 3003 Jackson River Rd, Monterey, VA 24465.
Saturday: 11 am – 5 pm • Sunday: 11 am – 3 pm * Weather permitting both days; Lawn/camp chairs and a canopy recommended!
Attendees can launch their own rockets under VAST's experienced supervision, launch one of the club’s extra rockets, or simply watch!
2024 Shopping, Dining, & Lodging
* Art on Main at the 3rd Space
132 West Main Street, Monterey
Friday: 11 am – 5 pm • Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm • Sunday: 1 – 4 pm
View and shop at this beautiful juried art gallery of local artists.
* Art on Main at the 3rd Space is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
* Big Fish Cider, Co.
59 Spruce Street, Monterey
Friday: 3 – 7 pm • Saturday: 10 am – 7 pm (Apple pressing in the afternoon) • Sunday: Noon – 5 pm
Taste award-winning ciders made with unsprayed Highland County apples. Big Fish Cider is a micro cidery that focuses on quality and not making mass produced canned ciders. Their ciders are much more like fine wines than the sweet flavored versions found on supermarket shelves. Come by and taste the difference. Enjoy apple cider pressing on Saturday afternoon.
* Big Fish Cider is a Silver Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
* Blue Grass Mercantile
2558 Blue Grass Valley Road, Blue Grass
Friday and Saturday: 9 am - 7 pm • Sunday: 12 - 5 pm
BBQ and other hot food, grocery items, maple products, local honey, beer, wine, Big Fish Cider, and more!
* Blue Grass Mercantile is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
* Blue Grass Valley Bank
132 East Main Street, Monterey
2583 Blue Grass Valley Road, Blue Grass
Monday - Thursday: 9 am - 4 pm • Friday: 9 am - 6 pm • Saturday: 9 am - Noon • ATM available in Monterey 24/7
Since 1915, we have provided service unlike any other. Keep your business local with a Bank that appreciates your community. Stop by for a wide variety of products and services, or visit our website. Come see why we are “The Best Little Bank in the Virginias.”
* Blue Grass Valley Bank is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
* Bolar Ruritan Scholarship Foundation Food
11 East Main Street, Monterey
Friday: 11 am - 5 pm • Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm • Sunday: 11 am - ?
Eat for a good cause! Serving Brunswick Stew in the parking lot of Highland Roots Market. Brunswick Stew is $20 per quart, and you can preorder until September 29th by calling 540-468-3668 or emailing lee@leebrauer.com.
* The Bolar Ruritan Scholarship Foundation is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
* Claire's Cakes & Café
107 West Main Street, Monterey
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 9 am - 2 pm
Join Tuesdays through Sundays for breakfast, lunch, assorted pastries, & barista style coffees. Special seasonal items available!
* Claire's Cakes & Café is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
* Ginseng Mountain Farm & Store
6359 Potomac River Road, Blue Grass (6 miles north of Monterey)
Friday: Noon - 5 pm • Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm • Sunday: Noon - 5 pm
"New time" country store! Grass-fed beef and lamb, sheepskins, braided rugs, honey, maple syrup, books, and more. On Saturday: samplings of local goods from their grilling marinade to hand-churned apple butter! All three days: pop-up thrift shop that includes housewares, antique clothing, and the latest fashions out of Megan’s Closet.
* Ginseng Mountain Farm & Store is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
Highland County Girl Scouts Food and Crafts at Monterey Presbyterian Church (Indoor/Outdoor Seating)
50 Spruce Street, Monterey
Saturday: 11 am - 5 pm
Baked potatoes with toppings, chili, drinks, and baked goods and craft items made by local girl scouts and troop leaders.
* Highland Roots Market
11 East Main Street, Monterey
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 10 am - 6 pm
Maple syrup variety, cinnamon rolls and baked goods, craft beer, BBQ, fresh pressed cider, locally harvested goods, music, local pastured meats, locally roasted coffee, Halloween pumpkins, healthy snacks, natural food market
* Highland Roots Market is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
High's Restaurant
73 West Main Street, Monterey
Friday and Saturday: 11 am - 8 pm • Sunday: 11 am - 7 pm
Voted One of the World's Best Affordable Restaurants by Tripadvisor! Inch-thick ribeye steaks, local trout, gourmet burgers, desserts, and more.
* Hull’s Hideaway Restaurant & Tavern
37 Potomac River Road, Monterey
Friday and Saturday: 11 am - 8 pm • Sunday: 11 am - 3 pm
Maple BBQ ribs, Maple BBQ sandwich, fried catfish dinner, pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, pumpkin spice pound cake, and more.
* Hull's Hideaway Restaurant & Tavern is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
* Summit Community Bank
195 West Main Street, Monterey
Friday: Bank from 9 am - 6 pm and ITM from 7:30 am - 6:30 pm • Saturday: Bank from 9 am - Noon and ITM from 8 am - 2 pm • ATM is available 24/7
Summit is committed to providing our communities with the best banking value, service and convenience possible. We will strive to ensure the customer's experience exceeds their expectations by providing the best products and services in the industry. ATM and ITM available in Monterey for your shopping needs!
* Summit Community Bank is a Silver Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival
* The Cabin at Petra
4001 Strait Creek Road, Monterey (3 miles north of Monterey just off Rt. 220)
Open March through November
Stay in a restored 1830’s log cabin 3 miles from Monterey with modern amenities and historic charm! Enjoy beautiful Highland County during the festival or throughout most of the year (closed December 1 - March 1.)
* The Cabin at Petra is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival.
The Church at the Old Oak
3898 Meadowdale Road, Monterey (7 miles south of Monterey in Meadowdale just off Rt. 84 on Rt. 640)
Friday: 1 - 5 pm • Saturday: 9 am – 5 pm • Sunday: 11 am – 4 pm
Local and almost local vendors of food and crafts in an old country church setting.
* The Curly Maple
174 West Main Street, Monterey
Friday: 11 am - 4 pm • Saturday: 8 am - 4 pm • Sunday: 8 am – 3 pm
Fall market highlighting local provisions, new inventory, brunch menu, gluten-free items, fall-inspired lunch specials, coffee and teas.
* The Curly Maple is a Bronze Sponsor of the 2024 Hands & Harvest Festival
