Event/Site: KingFest in King Central Park in King

Date: First Saturday in October, 10:00am - 4:00pm.

Type: Park festival with music stage, featuring regional music including bluegrass and gospel, storytelling, quilting, homemade ice cream, children's activities, arts and crafts, and food vendors.

Location: Beginning in 2002, KingFest will take place in the new King Central Park on Kirby Road in King, NC. From US Hwy 52, take the King exit and go 1/2 mile toward King. At the second stoplight, turn right onto Kirby Road and go 1/2 mile, passing P.B. Clark's Restaurant on the right (427 Kirby Road). King Central Park will be on the left. There is a sign and US flag flying at the entrance to the park. Click here for a map.

Cost: Free.

Parking: Free. Parking adequate for bus tours.

Special Needs Access: Venue is fully accessible. The park is hilly but has paved paths.

Signage: Signs at location, but not en route.

Sponsor: King Chamber of Commerce

Web Site: www.kingnc.com

Contact:
Melanie Hoyle, Executive Director
King Chamber of Commerce
124 South Main Street
P.O. Box 863
King, NC 27021
(336) 983-9308; (336) 983-9526 (fax)
kcoc@alltel.net

Description of Event: Kingfest includes a stage devoted to regional music, featuring local bluegrass and gospel musicians in a county renowned for its masters of these traditions. Also included in the day's events are a 5K run, arts and crafts, children's activities, quilting, a bike race, a youth fishing tournament, and community-prepared country food.

History of Site/Event: KingFest is thirteen years old, and is changing seasons as well as its festival site. Previously held in May, the event has been moved to October. There is a chance the October festival date will change, but event planners are expecting the new location, the focus on community heritage, and the fall timing to be a successful combination.

Description of Site/Facility: King Central Park is a newly opened 17-acre municipal park, with paved walking trails; a stocked fish pond; picnic shelters; restored log houses of early area settlers; and a natural amphitheater. An arched, covered, wooden stage stands at the base of a large open grassy knoll. The amphitheater is accessible by paved paths, although the terrain is hilly. There is plenty of room for people to spread blankets and set up lawn chairs and have space for children to play.

Significance of Site/Event to the Community: KingFest organizers work to create a festival that "is a good time and revives old community spirit," and are turning to the county's plentiful local music resources to help. The bluegrass and gospel traditions that permeate life in Stokes County have produced scores of accomplished musicians. Many have gone on to national professional careers, but many more continue to practice and share their considerable talents at home. KingFest's focused intent to present a community festival that taps and highlights the region's rich cultural heritage parallels municipal efforts to provide public recreation space that takes advantage of the region's natural environment.