A toy workshop is offered at the Fair.
April 26–27, 2025 @ Exchange Place
Kingsport, TN – The calendar may say that spring begins in March, but people in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia know that the season’s official entrance is when Exchange Place Living History Farm holds itsannualSpring Garden Fair, Andthis year, theoldest garden fair in the region celebrates its 39thbirthdaySaturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Sunday, April 27, from noon until 5 p.m., atthe 1850s farmstead, located at4812 Orebank Road in Kingsport.Admission is $5 for adults and is free for children under the age of 12, andproceeds go towards the maintenance of thesite, building restorationand keeping the farm'sanimals fed.
Be they novice gardeners, people with green thumbs, or anyone in between, theSpring Garden Fairis eagerly anticipated every year because it features thousands of plants for sale, from old favorites to rare and hard-to-find varieties.Growers offer perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs, with an emphasis on herbs, vegetables, natives and heirloom plants.And what makes it truly unique is that gardening experts will be available throughout the weekend to share their knowledge about plant selection and care, while folk and yard artisans will also be found throughout the grounds with unique plant and garden-related arts and crafts.
As an educational institution dedicated topreserving and interpreting the heritage of mid-19thcentury farm life in Northeast Tennessee,Exchange Place offersglimpses of the antebellum years wherever one looks. Theresident sheep get their annual haircuts as T.J. DeWittshears them, on the “Roseland” side of Orebank Road, at designated times throughout the weekend.TheOvermountain Weavers Guild then takes that wool and continues their long “Sheep to Shawl” tradition of carding (cleaning, separating and straightening) the wool, spinning it into yarn and weaving it into any number of beautiful and wearable items.
Across Orebank on the historic farm side of Exchange Place,theEden’s Ridge Hearth Cookery Societychurns butter on Saturday and makesa pound cake with that fresh butter on Sunday. Forced (“Scotch”) eggs and skillet asparagus round out Sunday's menu. In the Cook’s Cabin, theJunior Apprentices makehoecakes, fried eggs and bacon, Jerusalem artichokes, and jumble cookies. You will also find them in the blacksmith forge, the woodshed, the garden, and the 1851 barn, where the horses, cow and donkey will be waiting to meet you. In addition, the JAs host their annual Tennessee Dancing Gourd spinoff just outside the Cook’s Cabin.
There are two heritage demonstrators.Master Broom Maker John Alexander, along with his son, Aaron, offers an Appalachian Toy Workshop Saturday, April 26 from 2 pm until 4 pm, where participants will make a buzz saw and a jumping jack.It is open to ages 9 and up, thoughchildren under 13 must be accompanied by an adult.On Sunday, April 27, from 3 pm until 5 pm, John and Aaron offer a Cobweb Sweeper and Vegetable Scrubber Broom Workshop for those aged 12 and older.The cost for each workshop is $45, which includes all materials, andpre-registration is requiredatepfestivals.gf@gmail.com.(If the adult accompanying the minor at the Toy Workshop also plans to make a toy, they must also pre-register.)
Meanwhile, Tom Brown of Clemmons, North Carolina ison hand to display a wide variety of heritage apples.These are the fruits that our grandparents and great-grandparents used for baking, for frying, for Halloween treats, for creating brandy and cider and vinegar, and of course for eating (livestock loved them, too).These apples are a part of our heritage, but so many are being lost.Since 1999, it has been Brown’s mission to save as many as he can, and on Saturday, he will be on hand with a variety of these fruits.He will be happy to talk about heritage apples and their importance in our country’s past, as well as why we should try to save them for future generations.For more information about Mr. Brown’s work, seeapplesearch.org.
Children’s activities are always a major component of theSpring Garden Fair, and new this year is a Farmstead Scavenger Hunt.There are still plenty of old favorites, however, including decorating the Maypole, and a Maypole dance, behind the Preston House, on both afternoons.Youngsters can learn to make baskets at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. (and possibly 3 p.m.) on Sunday.Also new are the planting of the sorghum, which isharvested at the Fall Folk Arts Festival.If you’re interested, see Mark Selby in the garden behind the blacksmith shop.Meanwhile, the air will be alive with music throughout the weekend.A complete schedule is listed below, though it is always subject to last-minute changes.And to quench your hunger or thirst, plenty of lunch items, baked goods, breads, drinks and snacks areavailable.
April 26 concerts are the Kingsport Community Band at 10 a.m.; String Break at 11 a.m. State Street String Band at 12 p.m.; Charlie and the Honeycutts at 1 p.m.; Renaissance Strings at 2 p.m.; Chris Long at 3 p.m. and Junior Apprentices' Old-time Band at 4 p.m. April 27 concerts are Cody Mabe at noon; Red and Gray at 1 p.m.; Jim Ann Country at 2 p.m.; Timeless String Band at 3 p.m.; and Junior Apprentice's Old-Time Band at 4 p.m.
Exchange Place isa non-profit, volunteer-run living history farm, educational facility and regional attraction that seeks to preserve, protect, interpret, and manage the history, heritage, and artifacts pertaining to mid-19thcentury farm life in Northeast Tennessee.It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.For more information, call423-288-6071, or visitwww.exchangeplacetn.org.
Category: Festival