Southern Gap Elk Fest coming this October

Oct. 10—GRUNDY, Va. — Southern Gap Elk Fest will get underway this October with three days of events featuring music, mountain games, elk tours, a mountain arts showcase, a traditional Wild Game dinner and more.

This year's festival is planned for Oct. 26 to 28.

Guided elk tours, bonfire storytelling, a mountain arts showcase, an ATV Sasquatch Hunt, mountain games, kids inflatable rides, pond fishing, a petting zoo, hay rides, chain saw carving and blacksmithing demonstrations, pumpkin painting, music, a pickin' post and more will be featured during the festival, organizers said Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys will headline the music at the festival on Oct. 28.

Educational workshops will be offered on wildlife and birding to benefit area seventh grade students, who will be visiting the festival on Friday, Oct.27. Workshops on birding, the elk restoration project, turkey calling and more will also be offered Saturday to festival goers, organizers said.

All of the events will be held at indoor and outdoor locations surrounding the Southern Gap Visitor Center at 1124 Chipping Sparrow Road, Grundy, Va.

Admission to daily festival events is free; however, there are fees for guided elk viewing tours, the ATV Sasquatch Hunt and the wild game dinner. Sign-ups for the elk tours are limited to 25 seats on each of three tours to be offered during the festival and are first come, first serve. The fee is $5 for the tours planned on Friday, Oct. 27 at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. and on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 6 a.m., organizers stated. No meal is provided. Pets are not allowed on the tour. Reservations must be made in advance on site at the visitor center or by calling 276-244-1111. Lodging and camping are available on site, as well as in the nearby Town of Grundy.

The overall Elk Fest event is hosted by Buchanan County Tourism, Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure, SWVA Sportsmen and the SWVA Coalfields Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Additional sponsors for this year's festival include Noah Horn Well Drilling; the Boys and Girls Club of Central Appalachia; CNX Foundation; Coronado Coal; BEAST Equipment; Southwest Virginia Professional Insurance; West River Conveyors; Legacy Bank; the Buchanan County Chamber of Commerce; Grundy Woman's Club; Heart of Appalachia; Spearhead Trails; and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Additional sponsors are still being added.

The festival's events start Thursday, Oct. 26 with the wild game dinner hosted by the Buchanan County Chamber of Commerce. The dinner is sold out for the third year in a row, organizers stated. Wild game served at this year's dinner will include wild boar, buffalo, deer and elk. Chicken will also be offered with two sides, a bread item and dessert. Wild game dishes available will include a meatball safari, elk egg roll, wild boar baby back ribs and buffalo meatloaf.

A short auction, organized by the Southwest Virginia Sportsman's Club, to raise funds for the elk habitat restoration project will follow the dinner. A nine-minute video on the elk restoration project will also be featured.

Arts entries will be accepted in the Mountain Arts Showcase, sponsored by Legacy Bank, on Friday. The showcase will feature the original art of adults and children in painting, photography and miscellaneous arts categories. Entries will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27, with judging taking place Saturday. Festival attendees will have an opportunity to choose a fan favorite by voting throughout the day Saturday — up until 2 p.m. — for their favorite work of art.

Registration for the Southern Gap Neighborhood 'Squatch Watch on Spearhead Trails' Coal Canyon and Ridgeview Trails will open on Oct. 27 and the hunt period will end on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m. Registration fee is $20 per machine.

Three cut-outs of a sasquatch will be placed along the trails, organizers said. When finding one, take a selfie with the 'squatch as proof. At the end of the hunt, those who have found all three will present photo proof at the Visitor Center at which time, they will be given a raffle ticket to be in the drawing for a cash prize amounting to 50 percent of amount raised by the event. Hunting will be allowed during daylight hours Friday when the trail system is open and on Saturday until 3 p.m. The drawing will be held and the winner will be announced at Saturday's awards ceremony. You must be present to win.

The Pickin' Post, sponsored by Southwest Virginia Professional Insurance, will be offered Friday, Oct. 27 from noon to 8 p.m. and throughout the day Saturday, Oct. 28. There is no fee to participate or to watch. Any musicians who would like to play are encouraged to come and play, organizers said.

Bonfire storytelling, sponsored by West River Conveyors, will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27. Storytellers may register in advance by emailing info@sgadventures.com and are being sought now.

Food trucks will be on site all day Friday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 28. A variety of vendors will also be set up from 12 noon to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.

A full day of events has been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28. A guided elk viewing tour — the final one of the festival — will be offered at 6 a.m. The Sasquatch ATV hunt continues as trails open again at daylight and the hunt continues to 3 p.m. The winner will be drawn later in the day at the 6 p.m. awards ceremony.

The Kids Zone, sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of Central Appalachia, will also open at 10 a.m. and will remain open until 6 p.m. on Saturday. The log jammer, an inflatable slide; the Euro bungee jump; a petting zoo; archery; and pumpkin painting are among the activities. Trout fishing will also be available.

Chainsaw carving demonstrations by the Mason Dixon Boys, sponsored by Noah Horn Well Drilling, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free axe throwing will also be offered all day Saturday. Black Smithing demonstrations will go on throughout the day.

Hayrides will be offered at the top of the hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28.

In the field beside the visitor center, mountain games including a tug-of-war, a stone toss, egg and spoon race and a three-legged sack race will get underway from 1 to 4 p.m. Cornhole will be available to Elk Fest participants to play throughout the day. Additional activities are still being added.

The festival will conclude with an awards ceremony at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, followed by entertainment by Southern Connection who will open for Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys. While there is no fee to attend the concert, voluntary donations will be accepted at the door to benefit Elk Fest 2024, organizers said.

For additional information about Elk Fest, interested persons may call the Southern Gap Visitor Center office at 276-244-1111 or email info@sgadventures.com or call the Buchanan County Tourism Office at 276-312-5033 or email info@WildBuchanan.com to request a vendor application.

For festival updates, follow the elk fest page on Facebook or log on to sgadventures.com.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com