Town invites community to celebrate its history

COLUMBUS — Area residents are invited to celebrate Columbus’ heritage from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for the annual Columbus Heritage Festival.

There will be heritage displays, craft vendors, farming exhibits, apple cider, specialty coffees, ice cream, live music, a kid’s fun area and an apple dessert contest.

The festival will be held on the Courthouse lawn in conjunction with the Columbus Farmers Market.

Kid’s activities will include a rock climbing wall provided by the North Carolina National Guard, an obstacle course, corn hole and children coloring their own “Cole Lumbus” bookmark.

Music will be by Old Time Overmountain String Band.

Vendors will include local arts and crafts, including Tryon Arts and Crafts School and Tryon Painters and Sculptors, among others.

A newly released Historic Columbus Walking Tour, including 14 downtown sites, will also be available Saturday for visitors to learn about Columbus’ history.

Last year, the Discover Columbus Committee decided to bring back a festival to celebrate the town’s heritage.

“The goal of the festival is to share our heritage of the past, how it has shaped the present day Columbus and Polk County,” said Discover Columbus Committee member and Columbus Town Councilman Robert Williamson. “In past years, Columbus hosted Columbus Day festivities, even though our town was not named for Christopher Columbus.”

Columbus’ heritage and history includes the historic Polk County Courthouse, completed in 1859. Polk County’s courthouse is one of 14 pre-Civil War courthouses in North Carolina and one of eight currently still being used in the state, Williamson said.

Williamson said over the years, Columbus Day festivities evolved into Polk County Farm Days, which celebrated the county’s agricultural heritage.

Columbus Day is Monday.

People attending the festival are also invited to visit the House of Flags Museum and the Polk County Historical Museum, which will also be open.

Vendor, display and contest applications can be found at discovercolumbusnc.com or at Columbus Town Hall by calling 828-894-8236.

The town of Columbus, the Discover Columbus Committee and Polk County Cooperative Extension is sponsoring Saturday’s festival.