150 Makers and Live Stages Take Over Main Street Tomorrow
Nebo, NC · October 9, 2026
Savor the Friday morning quiet while you can. Three blocks of downtown commotion, fiddle tunes, and apple cider are rolling in tomorrow morning.
The Lead
Downtown Marion transforms into an open-air celebration Saturday for the 43rd Annual Mountain Glory Festival, McDowell County’s signature autumn gathering. From 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Main Street closes to vehicles, making room for more than 150 regional artisans, craft booths, and food vendors stretching across three blocks. Two stages anchor the entertainment: the City Stage on North Main features regional acts including Greg Conley and Das Oompapas, while the Family Stage on the Courthouse lawn hosts youth dancers, string players, and the afternoon pet costume contest. Around the corner, the McDowell Arts Council showcases hand-stitched regional heritage at its annual quilt exhibition. Free shuttles run every half hour from the Hobby Lobby parking lot on North Main Street, sparing festivalgoers the downtown parking scramble. Grab a tote bag early before the midday crowds pack the street.
Local Pulse
McDowell Tech Launches New Manufacturing Training Initiative Schools The initiative connects county residents to paid industrial credentials through newly secured regional workforce development grants.
Commissioners Name Will Kehler Interim County Manager City Hall Kehler assumes administrative leadership immediately while county leaders prepare a formal search for a permanent administrator.
Today's Outlook
- High 77°F · Low 56°F — Overcast
- Muted cloud cover keeps afternoon temperatures comfortable, making a light layer all you need.
What's On Around Town
Today
Clay Companions Workshop Arrowhead Gallery and Studios (77 Catawba Ave), Old Fort, 5:00–7:30 PM Handbuild and glaze a spooky ceramic pet figure from scratch.
Jon Boy and Lefty Live Mica Town Brewing (311 NC-126), 6:30–8:30 PM · Free Catch live acoustic mountain tunes right off the highway tonight.
Silent Book Club Bigfoot Books & Brews (124 E Court St), Marion, 7:00–8:30 PM · Free Bring whatever you are reading for an hour of quiet company.
Tomorrow
- Mountain Glory 5K McDowell County Parks and Recreation (25 Academy St), Marion, 8:00–10:00 AM
- 43rd Annual Mountain Glory Festival Downtown Marion, Marion, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM · Free
- Open Bluegrass Jam Historic Orchard at Altapass (1025 Orchard Rd), Little Switzerland, 1:00–4:00 PM · Free
Sunday
- Buffalo Cove Live Historic Orchard at Altapass (1025 Orchard Rd), Little Switzerland, 2:00–4:00 PM · Free
Spotlight & Story
- Catawba Falls
- Tucked along the headwaters of the Catawba River, hikers climbing the newly engineered boardwalk often overlook moss-covered stone masonry beside the lower falls. Those stone footings are the remnants of a 1920s hydropower station built to electrify Old Fort's earliest textile mills.
Nebo Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.
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