BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Black Mountain is abuzz with preparation for the return of the largest fundraising event in the small town. 

The annual Sourwood Festival will take flight at 9 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 10 and Sunday, Aug. 11 in downtown Black Mountain. Over 200 honeybee and craft booths will populate the fest, which will also spotlight five local music venues and several downtown restaurants. 

The queen bee of Sourwood Festival is Melinda Hester, the executive director of Black Mountain and Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce. The chamber is the organizing hive for the festival, now in its 47th rendition. 

“It was started that long ago in the 70s to drive more business to our downtown area, because August was a slump month,” Hester said. “It is no longer a slump month, I can tell you that.” 

The festival is a big deal for Black Mountain, Hester said. The town is populated by a number of sourwood trees, which bloom for a short time every year. The honeybees that pollinate those flowers produce a special sourwood strain of honey.  

Sourwood Festival is an opportunity for Black Mountain to bring folks to visit, but also to honor a long-standing tradition from the region. 

However, honeybees are not the only tradition visitors can expect to see on display at Sourwood Festival.

“We’ll have a chainsaw carving exhibition here,” Hester said. 

Town Pump Tavern is a local watering hole that will serve as one of the music venues during Sourwood Festival. Town Pump is located at 135 Cherry St. in downtown Black Mountain.

White Horse Black Mountain is a music hall right in the center of the town.

The Black Mountain and Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce has a bustling visitor center at 201 East State St. in Black Mountain. The chamber is the organizer behind Sourwood Festival.

Several features are new to Sourwood Festival this year, including a lack of outside food vendors. Instead, local restaurants have been encouraged to create special menus with “grab & go” items. 

“Somebody can come in and pick up a sandwich or a salad and a drink, give them 20 bucks then go out,” Hester said. “We encourage people to go find a bench or a rocking chair and sit with their family and have lunch and then come back to the festival.”  

The addition of live music at local venues is also new for Sourwood Festival. Musicians will be playing at local watering holes like Town Pump Tavern and music halls like White Horse Black Mountain. 

Hester and her office greeter, a Shitsu puppy named Rosie Mae, invite visitors to come see them at the Black Mountain and Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce offices, 201 East State St., Black Mountain, N.C. 

“She’s the greeter at the visitor center, and she invites everyone to come see her at the visitor center during Sourwood Festival,” Hester said on behalf of Rosie Mae. 

More information about Sourwood Festival or Black Mountain can be found on the chamber of commerce website, www.exploreblackmountain.com/sourwood-festival.