Trails & Trilliums at MSSA on April 15–17

The 13th annual Trails and Trilliums Festival will be April 15–17 at the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly. This event is sponsored by the Friends of South Cumberland State Park.
In addition to the guided hikes throughout the South Cumberland State Park, the ART for the PARK art exhibition and sale and the programs offered, there are several events not to be missed:
Friday, April 15—4:30–5:30 p.m., Gathering Music by the Tracy City Tuesday Night Jam, free; 5:30–6:30 p.m., Trails and Trilliums Children’s Choir Concert, as well as the Student Art Exhibition; 6:30–8:30 p.m., Wine and Wildflowers Reception followed by Astronomy hike, music by Bazzania, $15 per person.
Saturday, April 16—6–9 p.m., ART for the PARK Dinner with music by Cricket and Snail, $37.50 per person.
Sunday, April 17—11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Cumberland Wild Hike into History panel discussion program with Mary Priestley, Lanny Bell, Wally Bigbee, John Greeter, Mack Prichard and Richard Savage.
The festival is noted for guided hikes, wildflowers, workshops, programs of interest to naturalists and gardeners, a garden tour and high-quality art. For more information or registration go to <www.trailsandtrilliums.org>.

Children’s Choir Opens Trails and Trilliums on April 15

Friends of South Cumberland Announce Tribute Award Winner

The Friends of South Cumberland State Park has announced that the South Cumberland Community Fund will be honored with its Tribute Award at the 2016 Trails and Trilliums Festival, April 15–17 at the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly.

For two years, the Childrens’ Choir performance at Trails and Trilliums has been made possible by a grant from the South Cumberland Community Fund (SCCF) through the Paul S. McConnell Music Trust, which was established to encourage and support music on the Plateau.

“The generous support of the South Cumberland Community Fund has brought a treasure to Trails and Trilliums in the form of a gathering of students from across the Plateau participating in the Children’s Choir. The public support of this event has been resounding,” said Mary Priestley, representing the awards committee for Friends of the South Cumberland. “FSC is recognizing the Community Fund for all that they have done and are doing for the quality of life on our Mountain.”

This year’s Tribute Award will be presented at the Children’s Choir Concert and Student Art Exhibition at 5:30 p.m., Friday, April 15, in the Assembly Auditorium. The concert and exhibition are free to the public.

“The South Cumberland Community Fund is honored to receive this award,” said Margaret C. Woods, board chair of SCCF. “It has been a delight to see the Children’s Choir have such a positive impact and bring together so many people on the Mountain.”

The Trails and Trilliums Tribute Award, established in 2009, goes to an organization or person who has contributed to the South Cumberland Plateau or the FSC in a memorable way. Previous winners include: the Land Trust for Tennessee, Park Rangers of the South Cumberland State Park, contributors to “Williams Wildflowers,” Landscape Analysis Lab; Tennessee Naturalist Program Board; University of the South; and Discover Together . 

For the complete schedule for the weekend, more information or registration go to <www.trailsandtrilliums.org>.

Trails & Trilliums at MSSA on April 15–17

The 13th annual Trails and Trilliums Festival will be April 15–17 at the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly. This event is sponsored by the Friends of South Cumberland State Park.

The weekend opens on Friday afternoon, April 15, with hikes to Shakerag Hollow and Lost Cove. Later in the day, there will be the Trails and Trilliums Children’s Choir Concert, as well as the Student Art Exhibition in the assembly auditorium. A casual reception, Wine and Wildflowers, will be held next door at Harton Hall with the opportunity to view the works of guest artists participating in ART for the PARK.

On Saturday, April 16, both casual and dedicated hikers can explore the natural wonder of the South Cumberland Plateau by signing up for any of 11 guided hikes. Vans will carry participants to Lost Cove, Fiery Gizzard, Foster Falls, Grundy Lakes and Hawkins Cove. At the Assembly, outdoor lovers of all ages can enjoy programs that include “Wings to Soar, Butterfly Gardens,” and last year’s favorite, “Tales from the Trail.”

ART for the PARK, an art and vendor sale, continues through the weekend, with many nature-themed works that showcase the integration of forest beauty into our lives. 

Overhill Gardens will have a broad variety of native plants for gardeners wishing to recreate forest enchantment at their homes. The ART for the PARK gala will be on Saturday evening with dinner, art, and music benefiting Friends of the South Cumberland.

On Sunday hikes continue and there will be an opportunity to learn about and build Fairy Houses. Artists, vendors, food and music will be available throughout the day.

The final event of the weekend is the Cumberland Wild Hike into History program. An all-star panel of historians, naturalists and local experts, including State Naturalist Emeritus Mack Prichard and original Savage Gulf Preservation League President Wally Bigbee, will discuss the amazing history of the South Cumberland, including Native Americans, pioneers, sawmills, coal mines and old growth forests. For more information or registration go to <www.trailsandtrilliums.org>. 

Trails & Trilliums Opens at Monteagle Assembly April 10–11

With author Richard Louv as keynote speaker for the April 10–12 Trails & Trilliums festival in Monteagle, the Friends of South Cumberland’s (FSC) theme this year is saving our children from “nature-deficit disorder,” a Louv-coined term. But there will be activities for people of all ages. Registration is now open at <www.trailsandtrilliums.org>, along with a schedule of the many offerings: over 20 guided hikes, speakers, workshops, family fun, Art for the Park, vendors, the Children’s Choir and more. 

The kickoff event is the Children’s Choir Concert at 5:30 p.m., Friday, April 10, followed by the Art for the Park opening night party showcasing the works of 10 featured artists. This cocktail buffet, held at the Assembly dining hall and gardens,  provides first choice for purchase of artwork, with great food and spirits and live music. Tickets ($40 per person) are available online or by calling (931) 924-4000. All proceeds from tickets and art sales go to the Friends of South Cumberland State Park. 

The 2015 featured artists are Bob Askew, Birdie Boone, Janice N. Dean, Jim Ann Howard, G. Sanford McGee, Susan G. McGrew, Lendon Noe, Mary P. Priestley, Carolyn Tweedy and Brett Weaver. Each artist donated a piece of work to be sold Friday evening, and they will have additional work for sale Saturday and Sunday. Four additional artists donated art for the event: Jamey Chernicky, Celia Delaney, Mitzi Roess and Carol Sampson. 

“The Friends are thankful to all the generous artists taking part as featured artists or vendors. Art for the Park has been a great source of revenue for the FSC,” said event chair Dede Clements. Clements offered thanks to Citizens State Bank, sponsor for the opening night party, and John Canale, Art for the Park sponsor.

The three-day Trails & Trilliums festival takes place at the historic Monteagle Sunday School Assembly. Louv will participate in a symposium for outdoor educators on April 10 at the University and give the keynote address on April 11, followed by a book signing. His talk, titled “A Nature-Rich Life,” will highlight the Wine & Wildflowers reception. 

Family fun, free events will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 11, including a ropes course with a giant swing, wildlife programs, making fairy houses, building shelters, nature walks and outdoor games. 

The festival is noted for guided hikes, wildflowers, workshops, programs of interest to naturalists and gardeners, a garden tour and high-quality art.

Yeatman Award Winners Announced

Yolande and Robin Gottfried will be awarded the 2015 Harry C. Yeatman Environmental Education Award from the Friends of South Cumberland on April 11 at Trails & Trilliums. Robin is executive director of the Center for Religion and Environment at Sewanee, a University professor of economics, emeritus, and has published widely on the subject of eco-theology. Yolande, one of two curators of the Sewanee Herbarium, leads wildflower walks and is the author of a trail guide to Shakerag Hollow.

Trails & Trilliums Festival April 11–13

The 11th “perennial” Trails & Trilliums festival, April 11-13 at the picturesque Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, attracts hikers, gardeners, art lovers, families and all who enjoy an outdoor festival for a worthy cause — the Friends of South Cumberland. More than 60 top artists and vendors will highlight Art for the Park. Guided hikes, music, great food, vendors, workshops, slide programs and children’s activities fill out the three-day schedule.
Trails & Trilliums is the main fund-raiser for the Friends of South Cumberland State Park, with proceeds going to protect our unique parklands and to inspire the next generation who will inherit them.
The weekend kicks off Friday evening at 6 p.m. with the Art for the Park Preview Party, a cocktail buffet at the Assembly dining hall and gardens. The event provides first choice for purchase of the selected works in the exhibition. Tickets are still available. Contact Dede Clements, (931) 924-4000, to RSVP.
Saturday and Sunday, the festival continues all day. General admission is $10 but free for children and the adults with them who are attending kids’ events Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., including the Teddy Bear Picnic at noon. For $20, attendees receive general admission plus access to all the hikes, programs and workshops for the weekend. Sunday-only admission is $10. Register for events upon arrival. Those who want to hit the trails will find more than 15 options with van transportation provided. Excellent programs are offered, including gardening with native plants, taking top nature photos with your cell phone, Tagalong with Teddy Roosevelt history walks, a slide presentation of the biodiversity of the Plateau by Mary Priestley and more
The Wine & Wildflowers reception is Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Assembly Auditorium. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door. No RSVP is necessary. Harry Yeatman will be remembered with a video presentation when the Yeatman Environmental Education Awards are presented to outstanding environmental teachers Cindy Potter and Wanda Bell. The University of the South will be presented with the Trails & Trilliums Tribute Award. The premier Teddy Roosevelt reprisor in America, Joe Wiegand, will present a program entitled “A Salute to Conservation and State Parks.” The evening includes wine, hors d’oeuvres and live music.
For the full schedule, go to <www.trailsandtrilliums.org>.

So Many Activities This Weekend!

This is one of those weekends on the Mountain when we wonder how anyone goes to all the great events taking place. Here’s an overview of the terrific opportunities this weekend. There’s more information throughout this issue.

Today, April 12

-an intrigue at Convocation Hall

-Organ recital, All Saints’ Chapel

-World healing meditation, 

Community Center

-Trails & Trilliums preview, 

Monteagle Assembly

-Perpetual Motion, Guerry

-Roosevelt Live! atMcCrory

-Voice Recital at St. Luke’s

-“Silver Linings Playbook,” SUT

Saturday, April 13

-Fishing Rodeo for Kids on
Hidden Hollow Lake

-Food with Friends Lunch at
Holy Comforter Church,
Monteagle

-Trails & Trilliums at Monteagle Assembly

-Art on the Rise at SAS

-Change for Paws on the Quad

-Perpetual Motion at Guerry

-“Silver Linings Playbook,” SUT