By TriCities.com

Published: June 26, 2009

Jonesborough, Tennessee’s oldest town - celebrates the 39th annual Jonesborough Days celebration throughout the historic district, July 3-5. The Jonesborough Days 2009 Festival will kick-off on Friday July 3 at 10 am with the parade and continue throughout the weekend, ending at 5 pm on Sunday July 5.  The Fireworks celebration will be held at 10 pm on Friday July 3 and will be sponsored by Dynamic Effects.   

For a complete schedule click here.

The Jonesborough Days patriotic celebration theme this year will be “Red Rockets, White Lies, and Bluegrass.” Red rockets represents the Jonesborough Days fireworks, which are some of the best in the region; white lies represents our storytelling heritage and celebrates the storytelling tradition that has made us the “storytelling capital of the world”; and there will be bluegrass music on the main stage and on our new addition – “Doc’s Front Porch”.  This area is in honor of the late Doc McConnell, who had a huge impact on storytelling in Jonesborough and throughout the country. 

His legendary Medicine Show has been a part of Jonesborough Days and the Storytelling Festival since their beginning.  In his honor, we have featured him in this year’s Jonesborough Days logo. The Jonesborough Novelty Band is also on the logo, which is a favorite at many community events in every season. You may purchase a shirt with the logo for $10 at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street.
During the festival, there will be free music on the Main Stage from Friday July 3 until Sunday July 5. Trey Hensley will be on the Main Stage on Saturday night at 8pm. There will be Gospel singing on the Main Stage on Sunday by the Hood family singers. Other points of interest include crafters that are required to have hand-made items; youth village with children’s stage; a new green village with conservation information and Farmer’s Market; antique tractor expo; Civil War Encampment; Native American Village; county fair games and inflatables; and more. Back by popular demand….the riding bull!

Eastman Credit Union will be back for their third year with a children’s play area and free mini train rides. For the young and young at heart there will be a country fair with games; a youth village with a children’s stage sponsored by First Tennessee Bank that will include a magician and young singers; old – time children’s and adult games; and much more fun!

First Tennessee Bank will return for their second year sponsoring the youth area with children’s stage. There will be a huge pile of sand with toys for the children so they can play just like they are at the beach! Activities will be happening throughout the day with magic, music, and storytelling featuring Dr. Dilly Dally and Judy Butterfly.

Children of all ages can experience 19th century rural education and Heritage Games provided by The Heritage Alliance at Oak Hills School. Classes begin promptly for one hour and you must not be tardy! The Oak Hill School Heritage Education Program is a “living classroom” which your child to experience the life of a young person in 1892. Our curriculum is based on the detailed 1892-1893 diary of a Washington County TN School Superintendent. We know what his teachers were teaching and how they were teaching it. Children gain an understanding of the lives of their peers through this glimpse of a typical school day. Designed for a single classroom, Oak Hill School is an experience your children will treasure!

More than 30 crafters will be on historic Main Street. They’ll have hand-made children’s toys, herbs and oils, candles, jewelry, baby items, and more. One crafter will be painting and creating smiles. Daniel Lasris has been painting faces on little kids of all ages from 9 to 99 for the past 8 years. He is originally from Tampa, Florida, but he now spends most of his time in Abingdon, Virginia. He found his talent while in Helen, Georgia and started painting smiles for tips on the main street. He has been to many festivals and events in the Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama and all across the United States. With paintings that are compared to Disney and prices that are far less, he has amassed a following that will always stick with him until the end of time. His keen eye for detail is met with a steady hand and pleasant blending of color. The “OOOH’s” and “AAAH’s” are never far behind when a finished piece is done. One look at his work and you will be breathless!

Debbie Jackson of Johnson City, Tennessee will bring hundreds of hand-made jewelry pieces filled with beads from around the world. Judy Foster of Jonesborough, Tennessee will bring her store to the street. She has a unique talent of bringing clay pots and figurines to life. She also has classes and do-it-yourself sessions at her store in the shopping center beside Burger King in Jonesborough. For class times call 423.426.1027. C David Cook of Jonesborough will return with his photos of natural beauty and surrounding regional landscapes. For a sneak peak visit The Dining Room Restaurant and Town Hall in Jonesborough or online at c-david-cook.smugmug.com.

“This festival has been recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society as a Top 20 event of the Southeast in 2009,” boasts Event Chair, Melinda Copp, “and was recently honored by Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association with a pinnacle award for the 2008 festival.  Our dynamic committee is going to build on the successes of last year and make this year’s event even bigger and better!”

The new green village will encourage conservation of our earth through energy efficiency, eco-architecture, organic gardening, and much more.
• Roy Settle with the Appalachian RC & D Council, in partnership with David Crockett FFA, will show how to build and install a rain barrel. There will be pre-made barrels for sell as well as a barrel kit to put together yourself.
• The Tuesday Garden Club will be demonstrating “Plant a Seed” for all ages.  People will get to take home their own seed pod and seeds.
• The Johnson City Power Board will be having a seminar on energy efficiency in your home, demonstrating ways to conserve energy and resources.
• Black Hawk Real Estate will be setting up a booth and having seminars Fri.-Sun. on green architecture. Black Hawk is an EarthCraft House builder, so they will be showing us the new technology with eco-architecture and energy & resource efficient homes.  They currently have 2 homes in New Halifax that are EarthCraft certified.
• Depot Street Brewery will have a booth set-up for the festival to inform visitors of the steps they are taking to reuse and recycle.  Depot Street Brewery uses used cooking oil to make a bio-diesel that they run in all delivery trucks.  They also offer refillable glass growlers to help with their green movement.
• Patrick McCammon, Urban Forester for the Town of Jonesborough, will be providing a seminar on Saturday to inform and educate on what measures the town is taking in regards to bio-retention. 
• Englewood Lawn & Landscaping will have a booth and be performing seminars on draught landscaping and low-water irrigation systems.
• Jonesborough Farmer’s Market will be set-up on Spring Street to encourage folks to buy local and save gas and money.

The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society will be holding their annual Days of Dance in the Visitors Center on Friday and Saturday, July 3 and 4. All dances are accompanied by live music and require a nominal admission price. Instructors will be present to help with contra dancing, swing, and the waltz.

The Jonesborough Repertory Theatre will be presenting their all-time favorite- 1940’s USO Show. Performances start Wednesday July 1 and will continue through Sunday July 5. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for Veterans and students. Tickets are available at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street, by Visa or MasterCard by calling 423.753.1010, and will be available in front of the theatre July 3-5.

Festivities will be happening from Tuesday, June 30 until Sunday, July 5. You can come for a week, a weekend, or a day and enjoy family fun, our charming town, and Wetlands Water Park. You can even stay forever because Jonesborough is easy to get to, but hard to leave!

Other sponsors include Food City of Jonesborough, Bojangle’s of Jonesborough, Phil Bachman Toyota-Scion, and Stafford Custom Graphics. Please thank them for their support of the biggest event of the year!

For more information on events all year round and dining/lodging accommodations, visit the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street, call locally (423) 753-1010, call toll-free (866) 401-4223 or log onto historicjonesborough.com or join our facebook fan page called HISTORIC JONESBOROUGH Visitors Center & Museum.