Special Programs and Events
Over the years Hickory Ridge has had many special events and programs. This section of the exhibit will describe these events and programs.
Boone Heritage Festaval
For years Hickory Ridge living History Museum hosted the Boone Heritage Festival in the fall. This event was a living history event that taught visitors about various aspects of life in the North Carolina Backcountry in the 18th Century like crafts and music. Visitors could walk around the museum and see different period crafts being made as well as enjoy music from the time period. Visitors could also enjoy samples of period foods as well as purchase colonial toys from the museum gift shop.
Horn in the West Evening Tours
Once the Horn in the West season begins the museum begins its special evening tours for visitors to the show. Each cabin is manned by one of the museums interpreters and visitors are able to tour the museum through self-guided tours where they can see different colonial crafts being demonstrated as well as see period foods being cooked that they can sample. Also, each night there is a special program where visitors can hear history talks on the history of the region, the battle of Kings Mountain, see weapons demonstrations, or meet a historical figure like Lord Cornwallis or Major General Nathanael Greene. Some nights the museum is invaded by the British under Major Patrick Ferguson who gives his proclamation that led to the Battle of Kings Mountain.
Fourth of July Celebration
The main event that Hickory Ridge puts on is its annual Fourth of July Celebration. This event takes place in the museum before Horn in the West starts and is put on by both the Hickory Ridge Interpreters and the Horn in the West Cast. During the event the Declaration of Independence is read in its entirety so that everyone can hear the nation’s founding document read aloud. This if followed by musket volleys fired in honor of Independence Day. The event concluded with an effigy of King George III being hanged and burned like the patriots would have back in 1776.
Trail to Victory: The Story of Kings Mountain
Trail to Victory was adapted from an event planned by the Wilkes/Surry Chapter of the Overmountain Victory Trail Association and was planned for both the OVTA and eventually SAHA by now Senior Historical Interpreter Taylor Osborne and former SAHA Executive Director Carson Sailor. The event took the museum and turned different locations in the museum into short scenarios that told a different part of the story of the Battle of Kings Mountain. Examples of these scenarios are Cornwallis’s Headquarters, Ferguson’s Decree, and a reenactment of the Battle of Kings Mountain itself. The event took place on June 6th and 7th 2019 but the second day was canceled due to poor weather. Currently there is no plans to hold this event again until it is better developed. It may however replace the current one-day Kings Mountain Commemoration event the museum holds.
In 2020 Trail to Victory was held on October 5th and was a huge sucess. The event consisted of three 30 minute trail walks that showed the events leadinf up to, during, and after the Battle of Kings Mountain. Below is a link to a full recording of the event.
Battle of Kings Mountain Commemoration
The Battle of Kings Mountain Commemoration was a one-day event held on October 5th 2019. This small event took the museum and turned it into a British occupied settlement in the wake of the British defeat at the Battle of Kings Mountain. The event consisted of the British invading the museum, a court martial, and a small battle demonstration. This event scenario was taken and altered for the future event the Battle of Hickory Ridge but plans are being made to continue with some form of this event.
The Battle of Hickory Ridge
The Battle of Hickory Ridge is a new event that will take place in August of 2020 after the close of the Horn in the West Season. This event will be similar to the scenario of the Kings Mountain Commemoration event but will take place before the Battle of Kings Mountain. It will have a fictional scenario where a small British force sets up a supply depot after their victory at Camden South Carolina to prepare for Lord Cornwallis’s invasion of North Carolina. The event will include a military trial, battle demonstrations, and other 18th Century living history demonstrations.
In August of 2020 this event was held and was a sucess despite the restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In July 2021 an altered verson of this event will be held.
Militia Muster
In 2020 Hickory Ridge hosted its first Militia Muster event. This event is designed to educate the public about who the militia were during the American Revolution as well as the major militia battles during the war. Historically local militias would gather once or twice a year to train and in North Carolina men aged 16 to 60 were required to serve in the militia. This was one of the most successful events of the 2020 museum season and in 2021 there will be two! One in the spring and one in the fall with the theme of each related to the 1776 Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge and the 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain.
High Country Rendezvous
In September of 2020 Hickory Ridge hosted its first High Country Rendezvous. This event is a colonial trade fair where different trades and crafts from the period were demonstrated. These crafts ranged from surveying, music, candle dipping, to learning about long hunting and herbs from the period. In 2021 Hickory Ridge will host three rendezvous. These will have demonstrations themed for the season the event takes place (Spring, Summer, Fall).
Daniel Boone Day
Every June 7th in the Unites States it is National Daniel Boone Day. In 2020 Hickory Ridge hosted its first Daniel Boone Day event. This event consisted of a special storytelling with Daniel Boone program where Horn in the West’s Scott Loveless portrayed Boone and told a tall tale where Boone fought a bear on his own. In 2021 the event will be geared to have demonstrations and programs geared toward different aspects of Boone’s life.
Veterans Day Celebration
In 2020 Hickory Ridge hosted its first Veterans Day event. The event was a reenactment of the 1780 change of command from Major General Horatio Gates to Major General Nathanael Greene. This reenactment happened three times during the day with living history demonstrations like colonial cooking and colonial music. During the event Veterans were allowed into the museum for free as a thank you for their service to our country. In 2021 there will be another Veterans Day event that will most likely be a repeat of the 2020 event.
