True crime tales of downtown Waynesville unmasked during Appalachian festival

Becky Johnson, The Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C.
·2 min read

Apr. 17—Murders, safe robberies, jail escapes and more will be featured along a true crime self-guided tour down Main Street in conjunction with the Appalachian True festival from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 20.

Pick up a map of the true crime sites from the old Waynesville town hall (a.k.a. municipal building) and then walk along Main Street looking for the posters with accounts of the historic tales. The true crimes range from the late 1800s to 1940s.

Waynesville historical expert Alex McKay got the idea from his routine sleuthing into the annals of the past.

"In researching Waynesville's history all these years and reading old newspaper articles, I would come across crimes that happened right on Main Street — all within a couple of blocks," McKay said.

True crime offers a tantalizing entry point to connect with the past, and McKay couldn't resist from sliding in a dose of history with the posters at each stop — like pictures of what the location used to be at the time of the crime.

When picking up the map from the municipal building, check out a pop-up history museum on display from McKay's personal historical collection, which includes thousands of antiques, artifacts and original documents. The display will include a few rare, never-before-seen items.

The Appalachian True Mountain Market in downtown Waynesville on Saturday is part of the Carolina Heritage Weekend. The downtown festival will feature artisans, performers, demonstrators and educational displays that preserve the sacred ways of mountain life, combined with fun activities for kids and families. A shuttle will run between downtown Waynesville and the historic Shelton House, where additional activities and demonstrations will be on tap.

The day includes demonstrations by the HCC Lumberjack team; axe throwing; face painting; photo booths; live music and dancing; the Cherokee Warriors; bagpipes; antique tractors; heritage demonstrators; live animals; and a community jam led by Cider Ridge.

An evening soiree called Haywood Made will be held from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at The 37 Venue, in downtown Waynesville. Hosted by the Haywood County Arts Council, the event will have live music, dancing instruction, art activities, a full art display by local youth and a silent auction featuring handmade goods by local artisans.

"Collaborating on this Carolina Heritage Weekend with HCC, Downtown Waynesville, Folkmoot, and Shelton House has been a wonderful experience. We all have worked together to combine our strengths to offer this fantastic lineup of activities over three days," said Haywood Arts Council Director Tonya Harwood.

Find the full line-up at www.carolinaheritageweekend.com.