TROUTVILLE – The fourth annual Troutville Trail Days starts this Friday evening, June 5, with dinner for Appalachian Trail thru-hikers and resumes Saturday morning with a bevy of activities for the community and hikers to enjoy at Troutville Town Park.
Among those activities will be the first Warrior Hike “Walk Off The War” BBQ Cook-Off that will allow the community to sample BBQ made by cook-off teams that will be participating in the fundraiser.
The family-friendly celebration of the Appalachian Trail and outdoor fun in the area is organized and presented by Outdoor Trails in Daleville and will feature activities for the public and AT thru-hikers.
The only activity not at Troutville Town Park is Saturday at Greenfield Park off Etzler Road where The Hiker Hustle 5K will start at 9 a.m.
The rest of the activities are at Town Park where there will be craft and food vendors, non-profit informational booths, kids’ activities and performances, live music all day Saturday, a Battle of the Bikers and a Saturday evening concert.
A pancake breakfast is being held at the Masonic Lodge next to the park from 7-10 a.m. Breakfast is $5, except for thru-hikers who eat for free.
Grace Yoga will have a free yoga session at 7 a.m. at the park, and at 10 a.m. the rest of the activities begin.
The $5 donation to sample the BBQ Cook-Off will go to the Warrior Hike program that provides a therapeutic program for soldiers returning from war. The long distance hikes help soldiers “walk off the war.” BBQ contestants will be at work beginning the evening before to be ready to serve Saturday.
Anyone interested in being a contestant in the BBQ should contact Andrea Futrell at andrea@ourdoortrails.com or call 797-0217.
There will be guided hikes on the Appalachian Trail, which crosses through Troutville, cooking stove demonstrations, biomechanical exams, “At Opoly” game, a rocket launch with Boy Scout Troop 137, a Frisbee golf class, survival skills activities, raffles, children’s activities, community mural painting and lots of free music and vendors.
The music schedule includes:
• 10 a.m.— Morning Gospel with the Burlesons
• 11 a.m.— Strange Brew
• 12:45 p.m.— The Blue Cedards
• 2:30 p.m.— Another Roadside Attraction
• 4:15 p.m.— Jesse Ray Carter
• 6-10 p.m.— Aqeous
On Friday evening, The Kind will be playing at Pomegranate Restaurant behind Town Park at 7 p.m. as part of the Trail Days.
Vendors and organizations that will be set up during the day include:
Outdoor Trails
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club
Botetourt Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Camp Atla Mons
Botetourt Search and Rescue
Cardinal Bicycle
Bath Fitter
Grace Yoga and Healing Pathways
Shenandoah Podiatry
Land of a Thousand Hills
Walkabout Outfitter
The Wander Trees
Willow Mountain
The Bank of Fincastle
Ideal Auto Sales Inc.
Bitter Creek Construction
Martin’s Downtown
Appalachian Voices
Lemoine Crepes
Boy Scout Troop 137
The thru-hikers dinner Friday evening is again being held in Troutville Church of the Brethren’s fellowship hall. The public is invited to come socialize with the men and women who are making the nearly 2,200-mile AT hike.
Ebenezer United Methodist Church, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church and Mill Creek Baptist Church have joined with the Church of the Brethren to provide the free meal to the thru-hikers.
For more information, visits www.troutvilletraildays.org or phone 797-0217.
