Great trip, close to home. It’s the 48th annual Mountaineer Folk Festival at Fall Creek Falls State Park to celebrate the heritage, history and natural beauty of the Cumberland Plateau. The 3-day event is September 11-13, 2026, at the state’s prettiest (my opinion) state park.
You will find upwards of 100 craft vendors that sell a variety of hand-made items. You’ll find more than 20 food vendors offering an array of delicious meals and treats.
There will be a full line-up of live bluegrass and folk style music on two stages featuring several renowned bands and musical artists.
Best of all, if spots are available, you can camp, stay in a cabin or at the lodge. Or simply drive over for one day. It’s about 2-1/2 hours, interstate to Crossville, and then countryside.
Times are: Friday, September 11, 6 p.m. CST start; Thursday, September 12, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. CST and Sunday, September 13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
Demonstrations include blacksmiths, chair-caning, broom-making, leatherwork, sorghum milling powered by mules, alpaca fleece spinning and weaving, quilting, log hewing and more!
Contests on the softball field Saturday at noon include cross-cut sawing, wood splitting, animal calling and corn shelling.
All family bases are covered with a Little Homesteaders Hideaway for kids and an 18-hole golf course for the disinterested. A shuttle will run between park locations. A suggested donation of $5 per person per day will help support the Fall Creek Falls Friends group.
Click Here for The Lodge or cabin reservations!
Click Here for Campground reservations!
Smart Yards and Friends Festival ahead
Master Gardeners of Knox County will host a free event (with free parking) on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at UT Gardens, 2518 Jacob Drive, Knoxville. Events include:
- About Bats / Wildlife
- Awesome Compost
- Native Plants / Lawn Alternatives
- Edible Landscaping
- Rain Gardens / Water Harvesting
- Beneficial Insects
- Planting at the Water’s Edge
- Ask-a-Master-Gardener
- Explore the UT Gardens
- Food for purchase
Music in the Grove to feature Tony Paul
Karns Community Club will host its second Saturday Music in the Grove event at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, September 12, 2026. Club members built a performance stage in a grove of cedar trees behind the community building at 7708 Oak Ridge Hwy.
Musician Tony Paul, a Karns native, will perform. Hear him play a musical tribute to Dolly Parton here.
Since parking is limited, organizers have arranged parking in the back lot of Karns Elementary School with lighted steps and a walkway to the Grove. Bring your blanket or a lawn chair. The concert is free.
Notes & quotes
City of Knoxville seeks applicants to serve on the Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC). Applications are due on Thursday, September 18, 2026, by 4:30 p.m. Learn more at city’s website or contact Debbie Sharp at dsharp@knoxvilletn.gov.
Jay Leno will be at the Tennessee Theatre on Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets here.
Legacy Luncheon for the Parks is Friday, September 25, 2026, with speaker Conor Knighton, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and author of a book about his visits to all U.S. national parks. The event is at Johnson University from 11:30-1 p.m. Ticket info here.
Quote: “Remember, the Constitution doesn’t begin with, ‘I, the president.’ It begins with, ‘We, the people.’” – Gloria Steinem in her 2017 speech for the Women’s March on Washington.
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Sandra Clark compiles obituary links and writes the Let’s Talk series for KnoxTNToday – Let’s Talk – Outdoors archive. Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Get daily articles in one place with our free newsletter. Send comments to news@knoxtntoday.com/.
