From the Forest Service Southern Research Station, ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The USDA Forest Service invites people of all ages to a Spring Forest Festival on Saturday, April 2, at the Bent Creek Experimental Forest campus to celebrate the national and experimental forests of North Carolina and the centennial of the Weeks Act that helped create the forests.

“We’re encouraging everyone to join the Forest Service and its partners for a Spring Forest Festival to recognize the numerous benefits the national and experimental forests of North Carolina provide residents of the region,” said Katie Greenberg, project leader of the research unit that includes the Bent Creek Experimental Forest. “The festival will be a fun celebration of the forests, their creation, and Southern Appalachian culture.”

The Forest Service will host the Spring Forest Festival from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at historic Bent Creek Experimental Forest, 1577 Brevard Road in Asheville. Event sponsors include the Forest Service’s Bent Creek Experimental Forest, Southern Research Station, and National Forests of North Carolina.

The festival will feature educational activities, interpretive programs and special guest Smokey Bear. Fun activities include:
East Fork Gals – Interpretive program introducing the history of the Southern Appalachians through songs and traditional fiddle tunes, 10:30 a.m.;
James Lewis, historian, The Forest History Society – Presentation on North Carolina’s central role in passage of the Weeks Act and creation of the national forests and experimental forests in the East, and how they benefit us today, 12 p.m.;
Henry McNab, Bent Creek research forester – A tour and history of Bent Creek Experimental Forest and research projects, meet at Rice Pinnacle parking area at 1 p.m.;
Carolina Coal Rollers – Interpretive program introducing the history of the Southern Appalachians in the early 1900s through stories and songs, 1 p.m.; and
Paul Aderegg – Introduction to the history, styles, music and steps of Appalachian percussive flat-foot dancing, 2 p.m.

The Spring Forest Festival also will feature:
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission mobile aquarium;
Plant identification nature walk;
“Magic at the Cradle,” a new movie by the Cradle of Forestry in America;
Booths, games and displays by participating groups and organizations; and
Food will be available for purchase.

For more information about the Spring Forest Festival, contact: Julia Murphy, ph: 828-667-5261, ext. 104, or juliamurphy@fs.fed.us. More information also is available online at: http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/news/464.