GREENEVILLE, TN -- Arts and craft booths, a Merchants’ Market, a Kids’ Korner, storytelling, two entertainment stages, lots of delectable food offerings and the Evergreene Woodcarvers Competition and Show will be the featured attractions to tease and please the crowds at the Greene County Partnership’s 14th Annual Iris Festival, which will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18, in historic downtown Greeneville.
Arts and crafts booths with be positioned along College, Depot and Academy streets and in the city parking lot with all kinds of items for purchase, ranging from handmade jewelry, brooms and wooden items to Iris rhizomes and carnivorous plants. Food vendors will be filling the festival food court with delectable odors to tempt each and every visitor. Visitors may choose from delicacies ranging from bloomin’ onions and homemade ice cream to Thai food, fried green tomatoes and fried catfish.
Returning to the festival is the ever-popular Kids’ Korner featuring face painting, Funville rides and entertainment, sand art and The Hands On Regional Museum.
In addition, the lawn of the Andrew Johnson Home across from the National Historic Site will be the place to kick back and relax as several storytellers from across the southeast spin all kinds of yarns and tales in the shade of the magnolia tree. This year’s storytelling theme will focus on Andrew Johnson in conjunction with the community-wide celebration of Johnson’s 200th birthday.
Two stages will provide singing and dancing entertainment non-stop during the festival. On the singing stage, there will be jazz, bluegrass, gospel and contemporary performances while the dance stage at the opposite end of the festival area will feature clogging and line dancing performances. Sponsors for entertainment include DTR Tennessee, Greeneville Astros, McInturff, Milligan & Brooks Insurance, GreenBank, Consumer Credit Union, BB&T, and East Tennessee Realty Services.
The Miss Iris Festival Pageant is scheduled to be held at the Greeneville High School Lecture Hall Saturday beginning at 11 a.m., featuring eight different age categories for infants to 25-year-olds. In the 16-25 age division, a $1,000 scholarship will be provided for the winner. Entry forms for the contest are available at the Partnership offices or at Comcast. The deadline for entry is May 15. Admission to the pageant will be $5 per person.
Always a hit and crowd pleaser at the festival is the Evergreene Woodcarvers Competition and Show. This year’s show and competition will be held in the First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. each day.
Major sponsors for the festival are Funville, The Greeneville Sun, News Channel 11, Takoma Regional Hospital, Wal-Mart Super Center, WGRV/WIKQ/WSMG.
For more information on the various aspects of the festival, call the Partnership at 423-638-4111 or email gcp@greenecop.com.