Here's the schedule for Old Fort's Independence Day celebrations this week
This Friday and Saturday, the town of Old Fort will celebrate Pioneer Day, Independence Day and the 250th birthday of the United States of America.
On Friday, the Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort will again celebrate Pioneer Day. The festival could not be held last year because of the damage left by Hurricane Helene.
The museum will host its 39th annual festival on Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the state’s “America 250 NC” celebration during the Fourth of July weekend, according to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Featuring Southern Appalachian crafters, live music, food trucks, antique vehicles, vintage farm tools, western North Carolina authors, a Ducky Derby, children’s activities and more, the family-friendly event will be held — rain or shine — on the museum’s grounds at 24 Water St. and in the neighboring Mauney Memorial Park at 139 Catawba Ave.
Some crafters will also be located inside the museum’s temporary location at 78-C Catawba Ave. as repairs of Hurricane Helene’s damage continue on the museum’s 1937 rock building.
Admission to Pioneer Day 2026 is free. Parking is also free and will be available in the lot at the end of Water Street and at Old Fort Elementary School at 128 Mauney Ave.
This year’s entertainment features Wayne Erbsen, an Asheville musician, songbook author, storyteller and public radio host, along with German polka band Das Oompapas and more.
Bluegrass band Possum Creek will kick off the music at 10 a.m. At 11 a.m., the Brothers N Christ, a local men’s a cappella choir, will take the stage, according to the news release. Wayne Erbsen will start at noon and Das Oompapas will take the stage at 1:30 p.m.
Pioneer Day also features western North Carolina artisans and crafters, some of whom are familiar faces at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh and the Mountain State Fair in Fletcher. Many will be demonstrating their skills.
Among the crafts to be seen will be blacksmithing, quilting, crocheting, bobbin lace-making, pottery, beekeeping, spinning, weaving, dyeing, jewelry making and others. Vendors will also have handcrafted items for sale, as well as award-winning sorghum syrup, Cleveland County cornmeal & grits, “moonshine” soap, fresh flowers, native plants and other items.
There will be a food court area behind the Visitors Center on Water Street with food trucks serving barbecue, soul food and various homemade sides. The Old Fort Ruritan Club will be grilling hot dogs and hamburgers. Leisa’s Kettle Corn of Marion will have a food truck serving funnel cakes, cotton candy, soft pretzels, pork skins and boiled and roasted peanuts, in addition to kettle corn, shaved ice and sodas.
The Old Fort Ruritan Club’s Ducky Derby race in Mill Creek is scheduled to happen at 3 p.m. The first-place prize is $150, second place is $100 and third place is $50. A variety of other community organizations will be set up around the museum’s grounds to showcase their services. The Friends of the Mountain Gateway Museum will also be selling memberships and offering free gifts during the day, according to the news release.
The Mountain Gateway Museum will have the newest America 250 NC traveling exhibit, “Forging a Nation: The American Revolution & the Path to Independence,” opening Friday, July 3, in the museum’s temporary location at 78-C Catawba Ave., according to the news release.
Events on Saturday
Old Fort will hold an Independence Day parade starting at 4 p.m. Saturday with a different route than usual because of streetscape work on Catawba Avenue.
Under the new route, the lineup will begin at 3 p.m. at the former Old Fort Finishing Plant on Water Street. Participants in the parade will gather there before the procession starts at 4 p.m. The parade will depart by crossing the railroad tracks on Spring Street, turning right onto North Railroad Street, then making a left onto Cemetery Street. The parade will turn left onto East Main Street and then turn left onto Catawba Avenue. It will make another left onto South Railroad Street to return to the Old Fort Finishing plant parking lot.
The Mountain Gateway Museum will provide pre-parade refreshments. The museum will give out free watermelon and cold drinks, while supplies last, from 2-4 p.m. before the parade starts.
The annual Fourth of July rodeo will take place on Friday and Saturday at the rodeo grounds on Catawba River Road. The gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and the rodeo starts at 7:30 p.m. both nights.
Old Fort’s fireworks will be held on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. or at dusk. Town Administrator Renee Taylor said the fireworks will be shot off behind the rodeo grounds.
For more information about the parade and fireworks, call the Old Fort Town Hall at 668-4244.
