Taste of the Mountains coming

Once again, Madison’s annual Taste of the Mountains festival will transform Main Street as thousands of visitors and more than a hundred vendors flock into town next week.

The 16th annual event – set for 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30 – includes various food offerings, a variety of musical performers and non-stop entertainment.

Those passing through town will be able to test their hockey shooting skills against Madison Hockey League’s goalies. The local sports group will transform the parking lot in front of Madison Family Physicians – at 125 N. Main St. in downtown Madison – into a smaller-sized version of an in-line skate hockey rink.

Some of the younger league players will be doing demonstrations and “mini-exhibition games” throughout the day. In addition, those interested will be permitted to take some shots against league goalies and possibly measure the speed of their hits with a radar gun, according to league founder, Aroda resident Chris Artale.

The showcase – which will mark the group’s first time at the festival – is intended to provide more exposure of the league, as pamphlets and sign-up information will also be available about the organization’s 2008-2009 season, which starts in November.

“I still hear, ‘I didn’t know we had a hockey league in Madison,’ and we’re going on 14 years, so I guess we’re not doing a great job of getting the word out,” Artale said.

Further down the street, the Madison County Library’s lawn will set the stage for a variety of musical performers – including Second Time Around, Wild Olives, Dark Hollow, Scuffletown and David Leckie Gilmore.

This year will mark Gilmore’s third or fourth performance at the downtown Madison festival – “I’m getting to the point where I’m forgetting how many times I’ve performed,” he said laughing.

The Culpeper-based singer and guitar player looks forward to the Main Street event each year, he said.

“To be honest, it’s the best run festival in the area. The way it’s put together…it makes it so easy to come and just have fun,” Gilmore told The Eagle.
The musician – who performs cover songs from the last four decades – describes his show as a collection of easy listening, middle of the road, singer/songwriter tunes. Gilmore – who also pursues acting on the side and counts “Evan Almighty” among the films he has appeared in – enjoys taking requests from the audience.

“That’s what really makes it fun for me. That’s a challenge but it helps me connect with who I’m in front of,” he said.

More than 150 vendors from as far north as Canada and as far south as Florida will sell a variety of unique handmade crafts this year. Some of the new sellers include Lost Mountain Crafts, Country Corner Woodworking and the Blue Ridge Artist Guild.

As always, there will be “living history” exhibits throughout the day as the festival has remained a tribute to the customs and traditions of the people who lived in and around the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 18th and 19th centuries, according to event representatives.

The Seventh Virginia Infantry Unit Co. reenactors will be on hand at the grounds of the Kemper Residence where they will depict camp life during the Civil War. Nearby, the Fredericksburg Antique Automobile Club of America will exhibit antique cars.

Admission to the festival is free. Free parking is available at Madison County High School on U.S. 29; shuttle buses will run between the high school and Main Street. This year, there will also be 40 handicapped parking spaces in the former Madison General Store lot on Washington Street available for a small donation to the Madison Free Clinic.

For information, call the Madison Chamber of Commerce at (540) 948-4455 or visit its Web site at www.madison-va.com.