April 14th, 2012

   Celebrate the Cradle of Forestry in America’s 2012 opening with a step back to the days of the Biltmore Forest School. David and Diane Burnette from Haywood County will be on site with their Percheron draft horses to share how they work their land the old way. Weather permitting, they will plow the Cradle’s vegetable garden. Local crafters and heritage interpreters will bring the traditional Blue Ridge culture to life for all ages along the Biltmore Campus Trail. Toward the end of the day fiddle tunes will fill the air by the garden.

A mystery over time becomes a legend, and a legend grows in the telling . . . It was Halloween night in 1906 when one of the students from the Biltmore Forest School disappeared. His name was Tommy Hodges. The Cradle of Forestry will present this outdoor drama along the paved, one-mile Biltmore Campus Trail. As the audience walks the trail from scene to scene it meets characters from the historic Pink Beds community and hears stories, some based on the diaries of students who attended the Biltmore Forest School from 1903-1907.  Warm clothing, walking shoes and flashlights are recommended. Check the website or call for show times.

Admission to the show is $6.00 for ages 16 and up, $3.00 for ages 5-15 and America the Beautiful and Golden Age Passport holders; hot cider and cookies.

Visit with a small group of re-enactors in a reconstructed campsite of the early 1900’s.  At this time in history the Pisgah National Forest was in its infancy, and city folk were discovering the joys of outdoor recreation. It was a time when camping meant sleeping under canvas and cooking over an open fire. Here in the wood smoke, surrounded by the outdoor gear of a by-gone day, the traditional skills of camp and trail will be practiced in their proper setting.

“Camping in the Old Style” is presented by the Traditional Outdoor Skills Program, Schiele Museum of Natural History, Gastonia, North Carolina. Visitors can see fire by flint, steel, and friction, old style campfire cookery, four different styles of period shelters, and traditional camp tools in use. Each camper has expertise in various aspects of woodcraft, history and nature study, and welcomes questions from visitors.

More than 80 traditional craftsmen, exhibitors, forestry students, and entertainers gather at the Cradle of Forestry to celebrate our forests and forest heritage. Highlights include wood carvers, weavers, a blacksmith, and the John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsmen’s Meet, a lumberjack competition, organized by Haywood Community College. Admission to the Cradle of Forestry for this event is $6.00 for ages 16 and up, $3.00 for youth 15 and under and America the Beautiful and Golden Age pass holders, free for children under four years old.

1:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Games, singing, firefighting equipment, birthday cake and of course, Smokey Bear! The symbol of wildland fire prevention turns 68 this year, and the Cradle of Forestry will host this special bear’s birthday party.  Smokey will help cut his birthday cake and meet and greet his friends during the celebration.  Party favor bags for children include a little book “The True Story of Smokey Bear,” the Smokey Bear song, and Smokey memorabilia. Families are welcome to pack a picnic. Activities during Smokey Bear’s Birthday Party are held in front of the Forest Discovery Center until 1:00, indoors if it is raining. Then festivities continue with a live animal program inside the Forest Discovery Center.

The fee for this event is $6.00 for ages 16 and older; youth 15 and under and America the Beautiful and Golden Passport holders are admitted for ½ price on this special day. ($3.00) Children under four years old are admitted free.

7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Moths, bats, owls- these are just some of the animals active at night when many of us are settled in our shelters. This wheelchair accessible program during a magical time focuses on nocturnal life in the woods and begins in the Cradle’s outdoor amphitheatre. Children can make a luna moth finger puppet to take home. A naturalist will describe the special adaptations animals have for going about the business of living from dusk to dawn. Then the group will stroll through the evening woods in search of winged creatures of the night.

Cost for this special evening program is $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for youth, and America the Beautiful Senior pass holders.

3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

The Songcatchers Music Series, now in its ninth year, showcases acoustic music with roots in the Southern Appalachians and the musicians who nurture the tradition of passing this heritage on to others. Local musicians are on site at 3:00 p.m. to jam before the concert, which begins with a warm-up at 4:00 p.m. After a short break the featured performer will begin. Concerts take place in the wheelchair accessible, covered outdoor amphitheatre unless storms move them inside the Forest Discovery Center. Picnics are welcome.

Admission for this event is $6.00 for ages 16 and older, $3.00 for youth 15 and under and America the Beautiful pass holders.

The Cradle of Forestry invites the curious of all ages to learn about insects and other arthropods. This event will be held in and around the Forest Discovery Center at the Cradle of Forestry and commemorates National Pollinator Week. On-going activities include buggy games, crafts, bug hunts and pond explorations.

7:30pm-9:30pm.

A sure sign of summertime is the blinking of fireflies or what some call lightning bugs. Enjoy the magical evening forest and learn about the natural history of these fascinating insects. Park and meet at the Pink Beds Picnic Area on Hwy. 276, located next to the Cradle of Forestry.

The firefly walk will be lead by a naturalist from the Cradle of Forestry. The group will meet to discuss the life cycle and special features of fireflies and then take an easy, slow paced walk looking for them and exploring the surrounding forest. Please bring along a flashlight and your sense of wonder. Cost for this special evening program is $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for youth, and America the Beautiful Senior Pass holders.

The Cradle of Forestry celebrates National Get Outdoors Day, established in 2008 by the USDA Forest Service to encourage Americans, especially youth, to seek out healthy, active outdoor lifestyles, connect with nature, and embrace public lands. The day includes skill teaching and demonstrations by the area’s outdoor recreation community, and guided nature walks along the Cradle’s Forest Discovery Trail. Admission to the site is free on this national event day.