Sylva celebrated its 27th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival Saturday, April 26. Downtown came to life as more than 150 vendors, demonstrators, cooks and crafters set up shop along Main Street.
Greening Up the Mountains celebrates the coming of spring through Appalachian music, arts and crafts, food, live music and more. What started as an Earth Day festival has sprung into a larger show of Appalachian culture.
“There’s great music and great food – it’s just a really great way to kick off the season,” said Bernadette Peters, Sylva director of economic development.
In keeping with its Earth Day roots, Peters said many of the vendors and demonstrators have an environmentally conscious theme.
“Of course, 27 years ago, things were very different in our awareness of the environment. Over the past three years we’ve implemented a phased plan where we don’t have any single use plastics,” Peters said.
No single-use plastics like bags or straws are distributed, and attendees were encouraged to bring their own reusable items. Also in an effort to remain green, the festival prohibits the sale of mass-produced items like t-shirts, signs and stickers.
Live music played all day from local artists TLQ+2, the Maggie Valley Band, Bird in Hand and the Robertson Boys. WRGC hosted a live-remote from the Bridge Park stage featuring commentary during set breaks. New this year was an auxiliary speaker system that piped the music and commentary from Bridge Park up to Main Street.
“The joy and excitement is contagious. As a business, I love it when the festival atmosphere fills our streets,” said Dixie Moss, owner of Underground Sylva. “With uncertain economic times, the festival should be a welcome reprieve for folks.”
Greening Up the Mountains is all about celebrating Appalachian culture and the coming of spring in an environmentally conscious way. The name itself, as original organizer Amy Ammons Garza said in a 2023 Sylva Herald article, comes from the spring bloom, which starts in the valleys and spreads up to the tops of mountains.
Garza and other Sylva community leaders put together their efforts and held the first Greening Up the Mountains in 1998. The festival is now planned by the Town of Sylva and the Main Street Sylva Association.
“I hope everyone comes, lets their hair down, has fun, and supports local stores while they’re here,” Moss said.
For more information, visit mainstreetsylva.org.
