Many thanks for 2006 Mountain Marketplace Heritage Festival

Jimmy Nichols of United Community Bank (right) presents UCB sponsorship check to Steve Oakley, Historical Society director, on porch of restored 1906 Grapelle Butt Mock house.

From living history to Appalachian crafts, this year's Mountain Marketplace Heritage Festival was the best yet. The event is held annually on Labor Day weekend on the grounds of the Mountain Life Museum, the Union County Historical Society's 2-acre site in downtown Blairsville. The goal of the Mountain Life Museum and the Mountain Marketplace Heritage Festival is to preserve and celebrate the rich heritage of our mountain community.

Special thanks for helping with the 2006 Marketplace go to:

United Community Bank for graciously sponsoring the event each fall since 2002

Union Sentinel for giving the Marketplace such good coverage & publicity

Sam Ensley & the musicians, including board member Don Byers, who generously donated their time & talents to provide outstanding music for the festival

the friendly craft vendors whose high quality crafts drew enthusiastic crowds to the site

Jason Martin & Graham Oakley work with 8-month-old steers in yoke.

David & Audrey Young of Rising Fawn Farm who lent their beautiful mule & young steers for the weekend

Charles Brackett of Kate's Cowboy Store for providing the livestock corral

Charlie Floyd for cheerfully providing electrical work for the event

Blue Ridge Mountain EMC for providing the power supply for the music tent

Union County Nursing Home for providing the chairs for the music tent

Alda Marie Collins Knight for lending treasured family textiles for the "Mountain Weavers" exhibit developed around the handcrafted Collins family loom

Richard & R.L. Nichols for supplying red oak logs for making board shingles

R.O. Wilson for splitting the board shingles

T&M Auto Sales for allowing us to use their lot for festival parking

and all the hardworking volunteers who helped make the event such a success:

livestock wranglers -David Friedly, Graham Oakley

set-up crew -Ed Reed, Margaret Sneeringer, Jim Wentworth

front-desk team -Alan Denmon, Loretta Honea, Carol McKechnie, Sarah Partain, Betty Jane Shuler, Joyce Wyckoff

on-site workers -Ed Reed, Angela & Ralph Sgambati, Margaret Sneeringer

heritage activities -Norman Cooper, Janice Boling, Jean Howard, Jim McIntyre, Jason Martin, Evelyn Payne, Willis Plott, Cindy Rafter

pioneer aviator exhibit -Sylvia & Billy Turnage

For more information on how you can help preserve our mountain heritage, contact the Historical Society at 76-745-5493 or history1@ alltel.net or visit www.unioncountyhistory. org.