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25 Years of Rhythm and Roots at the Birthplace of Country Music
Twenty-five years ago, a small festival dedicated to the music forged from the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains took
September 14, 2026
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Most of our every-weekend hikes were local to our home in Roanoke, Virginia, and repeats of ones we’ve done many times, but there were a few new things along the way.
In decades and centuries past, settlers in these mountains consumed what they called the fiddleheads of ferns. But just what is a fiddlehead?
The York, also known as the York Imperial, originated – logically enough – in York, Pennsylvania, in the early 1800s.
The Roxbury, which ripens in September and October depending on elevation, rarely makes appearances even in country stores these days as it is decidedly not a “pretty apple” by modern standards of beauty.
Cattails are native plants throughout the Blue Ridge.
Most of our every-weekend hikes were local to our home in Roanoke, Virginia, and repeats of ones we’ve done many times, but there were a few new things along the way.
In decades and centuries past, settlers in these mountains consumed what they called the fiddleheads of ferns. But just what is a fiddlehead?
The York, also known as the York Imperial, originated – logically enough – in York, Pennsylvania, in the early 1800s.
The Roxbury, which ripens in September and October depending on elevation, rarely makes appearances even in country stores these days as it is decidedly not a “pretty apple” by modern standards of beauty.
Cattails are native plants throughout the Blue Ridge.
Departments
Singing in the Garden
Singing in the Garden: The Practically Perfect Pear
“There are only 10 minutes in the life of [the average] pear when it is perfect to eat.” —Abraham Lincoln,
September 1, 2026
The Mountain Q&A
Vic Isley: President & CEO of Explore Asheville
“At my core, I’m a proud Carolina girl, foodie, travel and music lover, and farmer’s daughter.”
September 1, 2026
