• April 27 — Greening up The Mountains in downtown Sylva (Festival Guide page 23-26).

• May 25 — Trout Festival in Maggie Valley

• June 8 — Dillsboro Heritage Festival

• June 14-15 — CulloWHEE! Arts Fest

• June 15 — Taste of Scotland in Franklin

• July 4 — Special events throughout WNC, with festivals in Bryson City, Sylva and Franklin

• July 15-28 — Folkmoot International Folk Dance Festival, with International Festival Day on July 27 in downtown Waynesville

• July 24-28 — Macon Gemboree in Franklin

• July 26-28 — Bele Chere in Asheville

• Sept. 1 — Tomato Festival at Darnell Farms in Swain County

• Sept. 28 — Mountain Heritage Day in Cullowhee

• Oct. 12 — Church Street Arts and Craft Festival in Waynesville

• Oct. 18 — Leaflookers Gemboree in Franklin

Named for the way spring’s greenness starts in the valley and creeps up the mountainsides, Greening Up the Mountains is a festival combining Earth Day and Appalachian heritage, with a healthy dose of street fair thrown in.

The fifth annual event will be held in downtown Sylva April 27. A midway featuring vendor booths, music, food and fun for the entire family opens at 10 a.m. with the Parade of Many Colors and runs until 5 p.m.

Festival Director Greg Duff, who is member of Sylva Partners in Renewal and manages Cherokee Bottled Water, said planning for this year’s festival has gone well.

“You know, the community support for this festival is very strong,” said Duff. “Everyone I’ve contacted for help and sponsorships has come through.”

Last year’s festival attraced around 3,000 people, and Duff hopes that having guitarist Larry Keel headline the music stage may lead to even more people.

“We are close to being sold out of booth space. People are coming from all around the region to participate,” said Duff.

Greening Up the Mountains is sponsored by Sylva Partners in Renewal, the Sustainable Business Community and Catch the Spirit of Appalachia. It is billed as Sylva’s Earth Day, and as such promotes a “zero waste” theme. Festival-goers and presenters are asked to use recyclable materials and recycle receptacles.

Avram Friedman, the executive director of the clean air group Canary Coalition and a Sylva resident, hopes the festival retains its environmental bent as it gets larger.

“It started as an Earth Day festival by the Tuckasegee Community Alliance. I hope that aspect remains important to organizers,” said Friedman.

The Larry Keel Experience will play on the WRGC Main Stage at 3:30 p.m. The band features an acoustic ensemble headed by flatpicking guitar champion Larry Keel on vocals and Jenny Keel on bass and Mark Shimmick on mandolin and vocals. Appearing with Larry Keel will be Grammy-award winning dobroist Curtis Burch, who played on the “O’ Brother Where Art Thou?” soundtrack.

A second performance stage hosted by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia will feature such local favorites as the Queen Family, the Fiddling Dills Sisters and Josh Bulla.

Entertainment designed especially with children in mind includes storytelling sessions, hands-on arts and crafts, skits, petting zoo, face painting, pony rides and more.

Traditional heritage contests sponsored by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia and judged through N.C. Cooperative Extension Service will once again be featured. Contest winners will be awarded cash prizes for first- and second-place honors in several categories, including canned and dried vegetables, quilting and handcrafts. Heritage demonstrations that capture the history and culture of the mountain region will be featured throughout the day.

Sponsored by the Great Smoky Mountains Triathlon Club and the Canary Coalition, the first-ever Greening Up the Mountains 5K Road Race will hit the pavement at 10 a.m. from Mark Watson Park. For more information, visit www.gsmtc.com. For those who prefer to keep a slower pace, members of the Sylva Garden Club will lead visitors on their Tree Walk Friday, April 26, at 2 p.m. Then, the Greenway Commission will sponsor a 1.5-mile walk around town, through the “Pumpkin Patch” residential area and along the Sylva River Walk. This walk starts at 11 a.m.

The Jackson County Museum, housed in the recently-renovated Hooper House, will officially open to the public during the festival. “Jackson County Through Early Post Cards” is the title of the opening exhibit.

For more information about Greening Up the Mountains, call the Sylva Partners in Renewal office at 828.586.1577 or visit www.greeningupthemountains.org.