NOTE: Dates will be posted at Town Hall or advertised in around town.
Pioneer Day
Come visit Pioneer Day in Old Fort, the last Saturday in April. The fun filled free event will include Revolutionary War and Civil War re-enactors and firing of volleys on period weapons. Demonstrations of blacksmithing and gun making will be shown. Pony rides for the kids, wagon rides for the family, and games for all will add to the fun. Domestic skills of making apple butter, spinning and weaving, and woodcarving also will be on display. Food and craft vendors will sell traditional edibles and merchandise.
Revolutionary War Days in May
Features demonstrations and colonial vendors in authentic dress in a colonial style fort. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for kids 6-10 and under 6 free.
Come out to Davidson’s Fort to witness a snapshot of the American Revolution! Talk to craftspeople as they ply their trade, watch the soldiers drill, and discuss with the civilians and camp followers what it was like to live in the 1700s! Throughout the weekend there will be military camps and weapons demonstrations, with a battle demonstration Saturday at 1:00 pm! Also come out Saturday and cheer for your favorite competitor at our Backcountry Competitions before the battle!
Gold Festival is first weekend in June
This will be a festival designed to educate, promote, and highlight the gold and gem heritage of the region through entertainment, tours, and events during the spring. The festival will serve as a promotional tool. The Festival will also help foster partnerships with local businesses, surrounding county businesses, and regional groups interested in promoting the captivating history of the area using the gold prospecting heritage as a catalyst.
Pisgah Enduro
The fastest growing form of mountain bike racing is coming to the Pisgah National Forest. Pisgah Productions is excited to announce the Pisgah Enduro. Individuals will test their downhill skills on three different timed courses. The rides in between the downhill sections will not be timed. Racers will board buses and will be shuttled to (near) the top of the hill at Ridgecrest. The first timed section will be Rattlesnake from the helipad to the ball fields at Ridgecrest. Racers will then ride at a casual pace to the Kitsuma trail. The second timed section will start at the Young’s Ridge trail sign and will end at the Old Fort picnic area. Racers will then ride at a casual pace to Star Gap. The third timed section will be Star Gap trail to Jarred Creek. There will be three rest areas along the way fully stocked with food and water. We will have a professional timing system and timing personnel.
Old Fort July 4th Parade
All that are interested the line is at 3:00 pm at Old Fort Elementary School. The Parade will start at 4:00 pm. Call 668-4244, 460-6577 or 442-3869 for date and information.
July 4th Fireworks
Fireworks will be on July 4th and will start around 9:30 pm.
Jerdon Mountain Challenge Saturday before ORAMM
Warm-up to the ORAMM or just come out and ride a 30 mile course that doesn’t have you riding in circles! This is backcountry racing at its finest with a shorter course and still all the amenities of a long distance endurance race. This race will run the same course as the ever popular Off Road Assault on Mt Mitchell but will end before the famed climb up Curtis Creek Road to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The race will still tackle 4,000′ of climbing over 30 miles as you hit some ORAMM highlights like Old Highway 70, Kitsuma, Star Gap and Jarrett Creek. Celebrate with a huge after party on the picturesque Gateway Museum grounds.
New for 2014 – Timed Enduro Section!!! We’ll be timing your descent on Heartbreak Ridge! This will allow for a safety accountability of riders mid-course and showcase the true descenders in the endurance world. The timer at the start at the top of Jarrett Creek Road will have a hand held chip reading device and the bottom timer about 1/4 mile before the parking area will have a small structure in place with a chip reading device attached to a laptop computer. Riders will not need to slow as they enter or exit either timing area but can continue to ride normally along the route. The “enduro” section will be included with registration fees and applicable for all participants in the event. We’ll be handing out Enduro awards too! This race is limited to 300 participants.
Annual off Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell.
The Off Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell is a 60 mile mostly off road Bicycle route with 10,500 feet of climbing. From Old Fort you climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and just below Mt. Mitchell on beautiful Forest Service roads and unbelievable North Carolina single track. There are fully stocked rest stops approximately every 10 miles and you can send anything you want to the rest areas with our staff. Mt. Mitchell peaks at 6684 ft. and is the highest mountain east of the Mississippi river. The start/finish in the town of Old Fort sits at around 1400 feet. Most of the climbing is on Forest Service roads while most of the single track points downhill!
Annual date pending- Timed Enduro Section!!! We’ll be timing your descent on Heartbreak Ridge! This will allow for a safety accountability of riders mid-course and showcase the true descenders in the endurance world. The timer at the start at the top of Heartbreak Ridge will have a hand held chip reading device and the bottom timer at the camp fire ring about 1/4 mile before the railroad tracks will have a small structure in place with a chip reading device attached to a laptop computer. Riders will not need to slow as they enter or exit either timing area but can continue to ride normally along the route. The “enduro” section will be included with registration fees and applicable for all participants in the event. We’ll be handing out Enduro awards too!
Rail Road Day 3rd Sat in September
Railroad Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at both the Old Fort Depot and the Mountain Gateway Museum. The free event celebrates Old Fort’s rail-related history with vendors, food, music and model railroad displays. There will also be displays of vintage cars and trucks too, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
The Route 70 Cruisers will display some real beauties with a car show at Railroad Day.
In addition to muscle cars, there will be model trains, a trackless train for kids to enjoy, and a hand pump train car to examine. Local model railroader and McDowell News reporter Mike Conley will speak about the trains in western North Carolina and bring some artifacts. He will focus on how the railroads in McDowell County were impacted by the great flood of 1916.
Old Fort Christmas Parade
The annual Christmas Parade in Old Fort is on the second Saturday of December at 3 pm with line up at 2pm at the Elementary School. Call 668-4244, 460-6577 or 442-3869 for date and information.