Piedmont Heritage Festival Just One of Many in Gaston County
If you are a town or city in Gaston County, there is a good chance that you will be staging a festival at some point during the year.
For example, the 9,500-resident city of Belmont hosts an annual Garibaldi Fest at Stowe Park each May, and the celebration includes arts and crafts, dance contests, a children’s fun zone and live musical entertainment. Just down the road in Mount Holly, the city hosts an annual Spring Fest in early May that also includes arts and crafts, live music as well as a 5K run and walk.
At Down Home Day in Bessemer City, the early May event has an assortment of entertaining attractions but is widely known for its food vendor booths, which include selections such as blooming onions, Polish sausage and rib-eye steak sandwiches. Meanwhile, Country Fest in Stanley takes place in early October, with bluegrass and country music acts highlighting the activities.
The month of November ushers in the annual Piedmont Heritage Festival that showcases more than 25 entertainment attractions at Schiele Museum in Gastonia. And exhibitors from all over the Southeast convene in Dallas each October to crank up their antique steam and gasoline engines at the annual Cotton Ginning Days get-together.
The Catawba Indian Nation is the focal point each June in Gastonia when the Catawba Indian Festival takes center stage. The interesting event features attractions such as live buffaloes, authentic teepees, Indian clothing, Catawba Indian food and a representation of 18th century farm living.
And in the tiny town of McAdenville – population 650 – officials bill their community as Christmas Town USA for a good reason. McAdenville proudly exhibits an annual display of more than 400,000 green, red and white Christmas lights, thereby attracting visitors from all over the country in December.
