John Fox, Jr. Festival
The annual John Fox, Jr. Festival features authors and storytellers. Poetry and short story contests are also conducted in conjunction with the festival, with prizes being awarded to winners in the adult, high school, and middle school categories.
The John Fox, Jr. Festival is organized and funded each spring by the Mountain Empire Community College Foundation to encourage creative writing and to bring free public literary programming to the MECC campus.
Home Craft Days
The first celebration of mountain culture in the region was realized with the establishment of Home Craft Days in 1972. Since that time, the festival has served as an integral part of Mountain Empire Community College’s longstanding commitment to promoting and preserving the rich musical and cultural heritage of Southwest Virginia.
For more than 50 years, MECC’s Home Craft Days has featured musicians and artisans from throughout Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee, and Eastern Kentucky. Demonstrations of weaving, pottery making, grist milling, wood crafting, basket weaving, broom making, quilting, tatting and much more are offered, along with musical performances throughout the three-day event. Thousands of visitors come to the MECC campus to enjoy the annual celebration.
The MECC Foundation provides financial support for music performances during the annual festival.
Mountain Music School
The southwest Virginia region is investing heavily in the development of cultural tourism. One of the region’s cultural tourism assets is its music. Mountain Empire Community College’s Mountain Music School is a week-long event dedicated to the preservation and continuation of Appalachian music and culture. The school provides opportunities for students of all ages to experience traditional old-time music with fun and supportive instruction. Students may select an instrument and skill level of their choice, including beginning and advanced “old-time” fiddle, claw-hammer banjo, guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, autoharp, and dog house bass.
The MECC Foundation provides financial support for instruments and scholarships to enable youth that have financial need to participate in the program.