2007 Brown Mountain Lights Festival

The Brown Mountain Lights. What are they? What could they be doing here?

Where can I see them? Are they real?

These and other questions will be drawing hundreds of visitors to the village of Linville Falls during the weekend of September 14-16 for the second annual festival held in celebration of these mysterious colored lights that have appeared for centuries upon a nearby ridge top. This year’s festival will be markedly different from the one before in that it will focus solely on the lights, since the county heritage component has moved to another community. As in last year’s fest, however, mountain music will be an eminent feature joining a lecture series throughout Saturday to celebrate what is perhaps the most famous of North Carolina’s natural mysteries. Slated to perform on the outdoor stage are the Wiseman Family, Herb Greene, Herman Coffey, and Terry McKinney. Speakers include Appalachian State University physics professor Dan Caton, the paranormal research group from Asheville, L.E.M.U.R., and Linville Gorge expert, Bob Underwood, among others.

Regional fine arts and crafts will be exhibited and offered for sale on Saturday. Friday night’s open-mike session at the bonfire will attract people willing to share their own experiences of seeing the lights. There will be music and a bonfire at Wiseman’s View on Saturday night. An interdenominational church service Sunday at 11 a.m., also at Wiseman’s View on Linville Gorge’s western rim, will close the festivities. Sponsored by the Linville Falls Village Association and the Jonas Ridge Fire and Rescue the festival will again converge on the exhibition hall across from Linville Falls Lodge on highway 183, near its junction with highway 221 and near the stone post office building. The Jonas Ridge Fire Department will be providing food and drinks as part of its fundraising drive. The distinctive Brown Mountain Lights tee-shirts (and sweatshirts)
will be available.

Artists and crafts persons are invited to exhibit at the festival. Ten-foot by ten tents with table are available for rent for $50.00, or participants may bring their own tents and pay an entry fee of $35.00. Interested vendors should contact Shirley McNeil sgmcneil1@bellsouth.net. Festival directions and schedules are posted on the village web site at: www.linvillefallsvillage.com.

I'll see you there. The lights, BTY, are not a fable. They are a real phenomena witnessed and photographed by thousands of people every year (including myself). Go here for a rundown on what causes them.