North Carolina Fall Festival: Where Gathering Is Golden

It seems improbable that a community with a population of only 243 could conceive of and execute a tourism program designed for mature travelers, which, in only four years, would not only be a success but would attract national attention.

Yet in the state of North Carolina, come September, the fourth annual Golden Gathering in the heart of Haywood County will take place over a period of almost two weeks, with “over 50 events for those 50 and over,” according to the program.

The town of Maggie Valley is situated at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the heart of an area visited by thousands of tourists every year. It’s a place that has four distinct seasons and 1,300 varieties of native trees. Visitors enjoy folk and farm festivals, exhibits, craft fairs and dances. There are handicraft, gift and antique shops featuring products made by spinning, weaving, quilting and basketry, the latter introduced by the Cherokee Indians, who perfected this art long before the white settlers arrived.

Golf, hiking, camping, fishing, picnicking, backpacking and horseback riding are popular. And in recent years, skiing, sledding and snowmobiling have been added during the winter in the higher elevations.

The Golden Gathering, which this year begins Sept. 3, supplements these year-round activities with 12 days of fun and games for the mature visitor.

Events may include picnics, bridge games, special-event breakfasts, lunches or dinners, hobby shows, musical presentations, bingo, golf tournaments, fashion shows, wine and cheese tasting, dances, flower shows, handicraft shows, hayrides and barbecues.

There is no registration fee in the Golden Gathering and no charge for many of the events. Some do require prepaid tickets.

Haywood County offers a wide range of comfortable and inexpensive motels, cabins and cottages, bed and breakfasts, country inns, country clubs, resorts, ranches, campgrounds and mobile home parks. There also is a large selection of restaurants, coffee shops and snack bars. Dress is casual; neckties are not much in evidence in Haywood County.

The Golden Gathering is organized and staffed by volunteers, and has been recognized by the American Bus Assn. as one of the top 100 events for 1991.

Haywood County is about 100 miles southwest of Knoxville, Tenn., 175 miles northeast of Atlanta, and 268 miles east of Nashville. Almost 50 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the nation’s most scenic highways, winds through the county.

Interested mature travelers can get a free copy of “Gateway,” a magazine-guide to the Great Smoky Mountains, and a copy of the 1991 Golden Gathering schedule of events. To request, call (800) 334-9036 or write to Golden Gathering, P.O. Box 126, Maggie Valley, N.C. 28751.