The Kings Mountain High School cheerleaders will participate in the Mountaineer Days Heritage Festival Homecoming parade.

The Mountaineer Days Heritage Festival is just around the corner. Scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20 and Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, the two-day annual festival allows Kings Mountain residents and visitors alike to enjoy fun, food, music, crafts and some pre-Halloween scares.
"Mountaineer Days had been phased out a number of years ago, but we had many folks in the area who wanted to bring it back," says Christy Conner, events coordinator for the Kings Mountain Mainstreet Program. "So we married that celebration with our Gateway Festival, and the result is the Mountaineer Days Heritage Festival, which combines our love of our school with our local heritage and history."
Activities will begin on Friday from 2-6 p.m. with the "Midway Fun Zone," an area of rides and attractions at the town's Patriots Park. The Kings Mountain High School's Homecoming Parade will begin at 3:30 p.m., and cheeleaders will perform at Patriots Park at 4 p.m. Participants are encouraged to wear black and gold to the afternoon's events.
The fun continues at Patriots Park on Saturday at 2 p.m with live bands, the Midway Fun Zone, dance exhibitions and food and craft vendors. A sweet potato pie recipe contest will be held at 2 p.m., a "Howl-o-ween" pet contest follows at
3 p.m., and the "Mister and Miss Mountie Spirit Contest" will be at 4 p.m.
"I think families will enjoy the Ghosts of Kings Mountain performances, which will happen every hour, running from 2-5 p.m.," says Conner. "This is a dramatic production bringing the Battle of Kings Mountain to life with the help of some 'undead' patriots." The Kings Mountain Revolutionary Ghost Tour (a ticketed event which is already sold out) will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Throughout the afternoon and evening there will also be other living history demonstrations, including a blacksmith, revolutionary war reenactors and a pottery demonstration.
For more information about the Mountaineer Days Heritage Festival, visit www.cityofkm.com, or contact Christy Conner by calling 704-734-0333.

By April Hoyle Shauf

Special to Community First Media