In Recognition of the 50th Anniversary of Mountain Heritage Day.pdf
IN RECOGNITION OF
THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF MOUNTAIN HERITAGE DAY
2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, Mountain Heritage Day will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary on September 28 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, Organized and hosted by Western Carolina University since 1974 in Jackson County, Mountain Heritage Day is a festival that celebrates the diverse Southern Appalachian mountain culture and heritage; and
WHEREAS, Mountain Heritage Day attracts over 12,000 guests annually, making it one of the largest, free, family-oriented heritage festivals in the Southeast; and
WHEREAS, the festival features demonstrations throughout the day, from blacksmithing and quilting to Cherokee basket weaving, chainsaw carving, and heritage crafts; and
WHEREAS, festival attendees can enjoy live music and dancing entertainment throughout the festival with a focus on Folk and Southern Appalachian traditions; performances include Shape Note Singing, Gospel, and Cherokee storytelling; and
WHEREAS, the festival highlights hundreds of craft vendors, an interactive kids’ area, vintage car show, farm tractor and mule wagon rides, 4-H exhibitions, Cherokee stickball games and dancing, and other highlights from WCU’s renowned Mountain Heritage Center collection; and
WHEREAS, the Mountain Heritage Center, located at the Hunter Library at Western Carolina University, encourages North Carolinians to experience the rich traditions of the mountains, see the Appalachian region from new perspectives, and come away with an enhanced understanding of its land, culture, and people;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim September 28, 2024, as a day “IN RECOGNITION OF THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF MOUNTAIN HERITAGE DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
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Roy Cooper
Governor
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this seventeenth day of September in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.