This festival has been presenting authentic mountain culture for over 40 years with artists from Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky. Friday night features an opening concert at the Goodloe Center on the campus of Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) with music continuing on Saturday and Sunday on the festival grounds. MECC is also the site of the Mountain Music School, held for a week each summer where dozens of folks learn to play banjo, fiddle, guitar, and other instruments.