A Celebration of Earth Day and Our Beautiful Mountain Community

April 20, 2024 – 11am to 5pm – Street Fair & Nature Expo

Planning Meetings

Meetings are done for 2024

2024 Sponsors

PRESENTING SPONSOR:
 

 

CONSERVATION SPONSORS:
 

 

The Andrews Spring Fling is a great way to get outside and celebrate the start of Spring in the Mountains! Stroll through town and shop with local vendors. Take some time to visit Downtown Shops, Restaurants, Breweries, and Wineries…there’s so much to do! Spring Fling takes place on Main Street from Fairview Rd. to Cherry St.

Because the event includes a Nature Expo with family-friendly educational demonstrations you’ll have the opportunity to learn about gardening & farming, fly fishing, cooking and so much more. The Kidzone helps keep everyone in the family entertained, and our Food Court, with live music all day, will make you want to stay and play for hours!

Handicapped Parking available near the center of the festival.

2024 Demonstrations

(In the tent on the lawn at the Methodist Church)

11:00am – Vermiculture – Learn the value of having a worm bin and how to make one.

11:30am – Raised Box Gardening – Make a simple raised bed from a cardboard box and some chicken wire.

12:00pm – Medicinal Tincture of Local Wild Herbs & Plants – Learn to recognize, harvest and tincture native herbs and plants to create a medicinal tincture.

12:30pm – Making Sauces from Jam – Using Garnet Gals Jams to create 2 different sauces – blueberry or strawberry pancake sauce and an Asian pepper dipping sauce. Samples will be available for tasting.

1:00pm – Children’s Gardens – Learn what vegetables are great for kids to see successful, quick results in a summer garden. All children can come forward and plant a bean.

1:30pm – Planting a Bean Teepee – See how to plant a Children’s teepee out of bean poles and a small swimming pool.

2:00pm – Caring for Babies on the Farm – Learn how to care for baby bunnies and baby chicks on the farm. Learn what they eat, when they eat, and how to keep them safe.

2:30pm – Honey Extraction Demonstration – Learn the different equipment needed to extract honey, how to recognize a frame of honey vs. brood, and see the process used to extract and bottle raw local honey.

3:00pm- Straw Bale Gardening – Learn the pros and cons of this method of raised bed gardening, how to condition the straw for planting, and what vegetables will grow using this method.

3:30pm – Creating Art Yarn – Learn how to create your own art yarn using a support spindle.

4:00 PM – Fly Tying & Casting – Fly tying is the art of creating artificial flies that imitate the appearance and behavior of natural insects, baitfish, or other prey that fish feed on.

Fly casting is the art of presenting the fly to the fish in a natural and enticing manner. Unlike traditional casting with spinning or baitcasting gear, fly casting involves using the weight of the fly line to cast the lightweight fly.

2024 Highlights

• Nature Scavenger Hunt & Games at MountainTrue Booth
• Kids can learn how to fly fish all day!
• Doxie Derby at Noon across from the Andrews Library. Prizes for race winners and for best-dressed dog (large dog & small dog categories)
• KidZone: Little Rascals Petting Zoo, Bouncy House and Slide, Sidewalk Chalk, Rock Painting, Cupcake Wars, and Bubble Station
• Native American Artifacts, essential oils, seed catalog, and more at the Andrews Library until 2 pm
• Food Court with Picnic Tables
• 90+ vendor/craft booths
• Dog Watering Station at the Chamber Office
• Photo Booth Contest in Front of the Chamber Office

2024 Spring Fling Entertainment (Live Music All Day)

Bill Vespasian 11am to 12:30pm
Betty Vaughn & Friends 1pm to 2:30pm
Sundown Band 3:30pm to 5pm

The 3rd Annual Doxie Derby

What is a Doxie Derby, anyway?
The Andrews Annual Doxie Derby is held each year during our Spring Fling, and is a racing event where Dachshunds compete for the title of “fastest wiener” and a cash prize. We also hold a costume contest before the event for “Best Dressed Weiner”. You may enter your Dachshund by calling 828-321-5516. The Doxie Derby is sponsored by Old Town Brokers.

The History of Spring Fling

In 2015, Eve Miranda started an Earth Day Celebration at the Andrews Public Library that included Educational events for Elementary School students. The students were brought by bus to the library to learn about the environment, and how to keep the Earth safe for future generations. A poster contest was held each year, and the winning poster was used in the subsequent year’s fliers and programs.

By 2018, the Andrews Public Library and the Chamber of Commerce were ready to re-brand the event and name it “Spring Fling”. The event was expanded to two days, with Friday continuing as Educational Day at the Library, and Saturday becoming a Street Fair & Nature Expo. It was an immediate hit with the community, and vendors came from all around the area to participate.