Dozens of pies lined the tables at the UT Extension Union County Conference Room as judges from the Union County Family and Consumer Education Association tasted and marked their ballots during the Heritage Festival Pie Contest.
Henley DeWitt received $100 and claimed the 2023 Grand Champion title with her pie Goodbye Summer Lemon Zinnia Pie. Kathy Venturella's Apple Pie garnered first place and $50 in the fruit category. Receiving second and third place ribbons were Ashley Mike’s Skillet Apple Pie and Mia Roach’s Key Lime Pie.

Evie Andrus and Friends will headline the Union County Heritage Festival on the Emily Link Gazebo Main Stage on October 7.
Andrus has been performing her unique style of fiddle playing since she was six years old. Her family band, Family Ties, toured around North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Canada throughout her high school years. But it was her passion for bluegrass that brought her to East Tennessee after she encountered an East Tennessee Bluegrass act called Blue Moon Rising.

Get your paintbrush, camera, carving tools, lathes, potters wheel or any other artistic tool ready to create a piece to enter the Union County Heritage Art Show on October 7, 2023.
Betty Bullen, noted regional artist from Union County will host the event at the Historic Snodderly House at 721 Main Street in Maynardville.

Not only is Union County known for its country music legends, but also for having a stretch of the famous Thunder Road. Thunder Road was definitely on Faye Hardin's mind when she created the painting that won Best Heritage in the 2022 Union County Heritage Festival Art Show. This was Faye's second year to receive the Best Heritage Award.

Thirty-five quilts from hand stitched to machine designed adorned the Union County Museum upper floor for the 2022 Union County Heritage Festival Quilt Show on October 1. Coordinating the event were Ellen Perry, Patricia Campbell, and Cleta Nelson Garner. The judges awarded hand stitched, quilted ribbons for a variety of categories.
Mitzi Talley took Best of Show and Best Patriotic Quilt awards. Patricia Walker received an award for the Best Heritage Quilt, Best Small Holiday Quilt, and the Best Small Quilted Item.

It was a cold, windy October day, but nearly 1,000 warm-hearted folks came to visit the 18th Annual Union County Heritage Festival last month. The festival was packed with experienced musicians who performed live music throughout the event. On the Gazebo Stage sponsored by Jaxx, Southern Spirit performed Back to Tennessee, Old Stuff, and sneaked in a preview of a tune from their new album that debuts in January.

Muster up a bit of competitive spirit or follow your nostalgic heart for some good ole memories of pumpkins, pies and pictures. The 18th Union County Heritage Festival has a contest for everyone.

The Union County Heritage Festival Art Show will take place during the October 1 event at the Myers Building (formerly Byrd Funeral Home) at 502 Monroe Street in Maynardville. Parking will be available at the lot across from the art show or at the courthouse. On festival day, parking is also available at Wilson Park where visitors can ride the big yellow bus free shuttle sponsored by State Farm Insurance and Plainview City to the art show.

The 18th Union County Heritage Festival encourages all area quilters to enter the Union County Heritage Festival Quilt Show on October 1 at the Union County Museum and is sponsored by the Union County Historical Society.
Intricately crafted ribbons are given in a variety of categories. A special recognition is awarded for the Best Heritage Quilt, the quilt that best exemplifies the festival theme or the general heritage of Union County. The 2022 theme is “Follow your Heart” and is a tribute to Carl Smith and the many love songs he recorded.

The Union County Heritage Festival Art Show on October 2 had nearly 100 entries. Betty Bullen and her staff welcomed numerous artists and tourists to Union County.

Nearly 3,000 visitors answered the Union County Heritage Festival invitation to “Take a Country Road” to historic Maynardville, the cradle of country music, for the 16th annual event on October 2.

As the 2021 theme says, tourists from area counties as well as several states plan to “Take a Country Road” for the Union County Heritage Festival on Saturday, October 2.
Just follow Thunder Road (Hwy 33) and Wilson Lane to all of the festivities in Wilson Park. Visitors can board the free shuttle (the big yellow bus) sponsored by Monroe Bus Lines, State Farm Insurance, and City of Plainview to view the Quilt Show, talk to the authors, and eat some country cookin' at the Union County Museum.

When the Union County Heritage Festival (UCHF) committee announced the theme for the 2021 Heritage Festival to be "Take A Country Road," my mind immediately went to what a one might have seen as he or she traveled down a country road in Union County some fifty-plus years ago. For sure, one would have seen a tobacco patch, or 'bakker patch' as it might have been called back then.

“Take a Country Road” to UT Extension Union County, 3925 Maynardville Highway, on Wednesday, September 29, and bring your best pie to enter the Union County Heritage Festival Pie Baking Contest.
UT Extension Union County will host the pie contest. Alyshia Victoria, Food and Consumer Science Agent, will be the coordinator.
Fruit, nut, and other are the categories. Winning pie bakers will receive cash prizes and ribbons.

It’s time to get those quilts ready for the 16th Annual Union County Heritage Festival Quilt Show on October 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Union County Museum at 3824 Maynardville Highway in Maynardville.
All quilters are invited to bring their quilts to the museum on Thursday, September 30, between 1:30 and 6 p.m. Ellen Perry and Patricia Campbell will be at the museum to accept entries. Quilts will be judged and ribbons placed to be ready for viewing on Saturday during the festival.

Union County Heritage Festival Art Show and Contest will occur on Saturday, October 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Historic Snodderly House, 720 Main St., Maynardville.
Cash awards and ribbons will be given for Best Heritage, Best of Show, 1st, 2nd, 3rd place in two- and three-dimensional works and photography. Ribbons will be given to Honorable Mentions.

At the July meeting, the Union County Heritage Festival Board and Committee voted to postpone the Heritage Festival to 2021. “We decided to take that country road right on into next year,” commented Director Marilyn Toppins. "With every East Tennessee county experiencing spread above the CDC containment threshold, the risk overcame the ability to keep our patrons and volunteers safe."

While the pandemic has kept people at home, the Heritage Festival Committee has been busy planning the 16th Annual Union County Heritage Festival.
October 3, 2020, is the date to circle on the calendar.

At Wilson Park, over 100 vendors competed for various booth awards at the 2019 Union County Heritage Festival last Saturday. A&B Bookkeeping & Tax Service claimed The Rocky Top award for the best portrayal of the festival theme. The Best Heritage Award for the best example of Union County history portrayed in a craft went to Martin Shafer for making maul handles on an Ole' Time Hit 'n Miss Engine & Lathe. Ralph Webster of Webster's Woodcrafts won Best Unique Craft Item for his handmade Black Walnut Bowl.

There was “More Fiddlin' Around” as fiddle lovers of all ages welcomed competitors in Union County Heritage Festival's Second Annual Fiddle Contest on Saturday, October 5, 2019. Amateur fiddlers took the stage and performed their best renditions of some fiddle favorites. While the judges were wrestling with very difficult decisions, all of the fiddle participants and several of the guitar, string bass, and mandolin players leaped to the stage to entertain the crowd with an impromptu performance of several popular fiddle tunes.