IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patti Jensen
Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce
828-765-9033
pjensen@mitchell-county.com
Come see our mountain turn pink at the 69th NC Rhododendron Festival
Bakersville, N.C. (May 29, 2015) It’s that time of year when our mountain turns pink and we
dance with strangers in the street! We can help you check both of those off of your bucket list
this year!
The 69th annual North Carolina Rhododendron Festival celebrates the blooming of the world’s
largest display of naturally blooming rhododendron, high atop Roan Mountain. If you haven’t
seen acres of bright pink blooming rhododendron taller than Paul Bunyan, then you don’t want to
miss this! You need to plan your trip carefully as the rhododendron blooms don’t hang around
for long. Each year the NC Rhododendron Festival is scheduled the third weekend in June and if
you plan your trip then, you can catch the festival activities as well as have the best chance of
being one of the lucky ones to see our mountain turn pink!
The Festival takes place on two days beginning on Friday, June 19th with the first night of
competition at the NC Rhododendron pageant at Bowman Middle School in Bakersville as well
as the first night of the popular street dance. That’s right…a street dance. Hundreds of people
from far and wide join together in the middle of downtown Bakersville to square dance, line
dance and cut their own individual rug to the live bluegrass tunes of the Wisemans. It’s also one
of those bucket list kinds of things you need to check off!
Saturday’s activities include a family-friendly street fair with arts, crafts and food vendors, a
classic car show, helicopter rides, tours of Roan Mountain, a 10K run, live entertainment on the
Creekwalk and a ducky derby. New for 2015 is the addition of the Bakersville Creekwalk .
Held traditionally in September, this juried arts festival will add dozens of talented artists and
craftsmen to the event. Saturday evening features the second round of competition and
crowning of the new NC Rhododendron Queens beginning at 7:00pm at Bowman Middle
School. The festival concludes with a final round of square dancing and live music on main
street, starting at 8:00pm. For more information, visit www.bakersville.com. See a Mountain
Turn Pink….Dance with Strangers in the Street…we can help you check those two items off of
your bucket list this year!
About the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce
The mission of the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce is to support business and promote community. The
Chamber is made up of hundreds of businesses, industries and individuals whose goal is to promote Mitchell
County, the surrounding region and its economy.
The Chamber operates two locations in Mitchell County. The Mitchell County Visitor’s Center is located in the
Museum of N.C. Minerals, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Visitor’s Center greets over 200,000 visitors each
year and provides them with information about the county. Administrative offices for the Chamber are located on
Crystal Street in downtown Spruce Pine.