Things really came together this year to mark Buchanan’s 16th Mountain Magic In Fall Festival, according to Town Revitalization Manager Harry Gleason.
The weather was perfect for the 130 vendors who set up on Main Street and the thousands of festival visitors who kept the downtown filled most of the day. Those visitors had the opportunity to browse dozens of antiques, crafts and other booths, eat a variety of foods and enjoy seven hours of bluegrass music.
“So many people pooled their talents and resources to make this year’s event one of the best to date,” Gleason said. He said the members of the Buchanan Special Events Committee—Dale and Gloria Carter, Billy and Barbara Stull, Teri McCoy, Tom and Peggy Ramsey, Larry and Vickie Vines, Jim and Patricia Kidd, Kim Bennett, Mike and Jessie Burton, Charles and Elizabeth Provost—as well as other volunteers and donors from throughout the community were instrumental in making the festival a success.
Donors included Bank of Botetourt, which supported the musical portion of the festival with a grant from the bank’s Art By the James Series. Many Buchanan area businesses supported the promotional efforts. Blue Ridge Farm Center donated the music stage and volunteers from the James River High School Key Club helped clean up.
Gleason thanked Dorothy Barnett and her JRHS art students for the juried art show, Buchanan Town Council and Mayor Tom Middlecamp, Paul Petty, Clarence Stinnett, Pat and Pedro Brooks, Molly O’Dell, Julia Anderson, Josephine Powell, Nathaniel Gardener and the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Department for their help and support.
This year’s festival attracted vendors from Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina and throughout Virginia.