The Carolina Raptor Center will be bringing two birds (including an eagle) to the festival.

History and wildlife will both be celebrated at the first-ever Nature and Heritage Festival set for Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 at the Kings Mountain National Military Park (KMNMP).
"We wanted to show folks that there is more to the park than just the battlefield," says Leah Taber, a ranger at KMNMP. "We have 3,945 acres of woodland here, and we wanted to highlight both our cultural and natural resources."
Activities for the festival are planned from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. One of the highlights of the day will be a visit from two of the Carolina Raptor Center's feathered friends (including an eagle) from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Recreation Equipment Inc. (REI) trainers will offer classes on outdoor survival skills thoughtout the day, and the Carolina Orienteering Klubb will offer instructions on map and compass reading. New skills can then be put to the test on a short orienteering course around the park Visitor Center.
"Orienteering involves using a map and a compass to locate a specific location," says Taber. "People who are very involved in orienteering will actually be running from site to site to be the first to complete the course." No GPS or other electronic location programs are allowed in an orienteering race.
Bluegrass and Appalachian music will also be featured throughout the day at the festival. "Backstreet" will perform at 11 a.m., "The Local Boys" at 1 p.m. and the Brooke McBride Band at 6 p.m.
Other activities planned for the festival include:
Nature walks at 9:30 a.m., noon and 3:30 p.m., with volunteers from the SC Native Plant Society and Anne Springs Close Greenway;
Star gazing on the front lawn at
9 p.m. with the Carolina Skygazers and their state-of-the-art telescopes;
A history talk at 10 a.m. by Michael Scoggins of the York County Culture and Heritage Museums;
A militia muster;
Colonial trades and crafts demonstrations and an opportunity to make your own crafts to take home;
Booths and demon-strations from
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. by some of the KMNMP's partners: NC State Parks, SC State Parks, Southeast Conservation Corps, U.S. National Whitewater Center, Anne Springs Close Greenway, York County Clemson Cooperative Extension, York County Master Gardeners, SC Native Plant Society, SC Wildlife Federation and Quail Forever.
Kings Mountain National Military Park is administered by the National Park Service. The park is located on SC Hwy. 216, four miles off of Interstate 85. For details about the festival, contact the park at 864-936-7921, visit the park's website at www.nps.gov/kimo, or find them on Facebook by searching for "Kings Mountain National Military Park."

By April Hoyle Shauf

Special to Community First Media