Exchange Place

In a time-honored area tradition, Exchange Place Living History Farm will once again honor the arrival of spring, and the planting season, with its beloved Spring Garden Fair.  The oldest garden fair in our region will be back for its 37^th year on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Sunday, April 30, from noon until 5 p.m., at the 1850s farmstead, located at 4812 Orebank Road in Kingsport.  Admission is $5 for ages 12 and older, with no charge for anyone under the age of 12.

Eagerly anticipated by area gardeners — from beginners to experts – the Fair will feature thousands of plants for sale, from old favorites to rare and hard-to-find varieties.  Growers will offer perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs, with an emphasis on herbs, natives and heirloom plants.  Gardening experts will be available throughout the weekend to share their knowledge about plant selection and care, and folk and yard artisans will also be found throughout the grounds with unique plant and garden-related arts and crafts.

Demonstrations of springtime activities on the farm, which is more than 200 years old, helps to bring the pre-Civil War years to life, and are always highlights of the Fair. The Overmountain Weavers Guild continues their long tradition of “Sheep to Shawl” with sheep being sheared and the wool carded, spun into yarn and woven into a shawl within hours.  In the blacksmith shop visitors may watch iron being shaped into nails, hooks and other useful objects.  The newly-renovated hearth kitchen will be filled with wonderful aromas as the Eden’s Ridge Hearth Cookery Society will be churning butter on Saturday and using the butter to make a pound cake on Sunday.  Meanwhile, in the Cook’s Cabin, they will be making hoecakes and other foods showcasing African American and rural Appalachian foodways.  And the Junior Apprentices will be hosting the second annual Tennessee Dancing Gourd Spin-Off and demonstrating other chores and activities all over the farmstead.  In the garden, they will be available to talk about heirloom vegetables and herbs used in the 19th century.

Numerous special events will highlight this year’s festival, starting with a very unique memorial for Dennis Marshall, who passed away last July.  He was a Master Gardener and Southern Appalachian Plant Society (SAPS) member who had been a regular volunteer at Exchange Place festivals for many years.  We are honoring Dennis by working with The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) to help restore this economically and ecologically significant tree species.  The American chestnut is considered “functionally extinct” due to an airborne fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica) that was accidentally imported into the U.S in the late 1800s.  The Foundation and its research partners are utilizing multiple approaches, and cutting-edge science, to develop a blight-resistant tree that can again survive and thrive in its native home, the eastern United States.  Earlier this year, TCAF donated three hybrid American chestnut trees to Exchange Place, which have been planted.  A formal dedication of a plaque honoring Dennis will take place on Saturday, April 29 at 4:15 pm, and a spokesperson from TCAF will discuss the plight of the tree, and share the latest research efforts towards restoration.

Back by popular demand, Jennifer Hanlon will be offering her beginner’s needle felting workshop, in which people can learn the art of transforming fibers into a piece of art, perfect for your springtime decorating.  This workshop, which will be held on Sunday, April 30th from noon to 4:00, will allow you to create your own little bunny!  The cost is $65, will be limited to no more than 10 participants (ages 10 and up only), and includes all the necessary supplies.  Registration is done online; go to https://www.hanlonscreativecorner.com, and scroll down to “Needle Felting Class Bunny” to sign up. (Please note that a deposit is required at the time of registration.)

Also on Sunday, Linda Doan will once again lead the May Pole dance, beginning at 2 pm, with live music provided by our very own Junior Apprentices Old-Time Band.  And both days of the festival will feature Frank Ireson of Viking Leathercrafts demonstrating how shoes were made in the antebellum years, using an authentic, old-time Cobbler’s Bench, donated to Exchange Place by Betty Moore.

As always, there will be an abundance of activities for children, with a focus this year on flowers and pollination.  And children of all ages will enjoy meeting our heritage animals, including our brand-new baby lambs.  The larger critters — our resident cow, donkey and horse – can be seen in the 1851 barn, while our numerous sheep will be in a variety of locations, with the chickens and roosters in their enclosed area behind the heritage garden.  Speaking of the animals, please note that all proceeds from this event help with the care of our permanent residents, as well as with the restoration and upkeep of the site, which is proudly listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Music fills the air for much of the Spring Garden Fair.  A wide assortment of local and regional talent is scheduled to perform throughout the weekend; a complete schedule is listed below.  (Please note, however, that it is always subject to last-minute changes.)  And don’t worry, if you get hungry or thirsty, food, drinks and snacks will be available.

More information is available by calling 423-288-6071, or by checking the Exchange Place website: exchangeplace.info.

Exchange Place is a non-profit, volunteer-run living history farm, educational facility and regional attraction that seeks to preserve, protect, interpret, and manage the history, heritage, and artifacts pertaining to mid-19^th century farm life in Northeast Tennessee.

TENTATIVE MUSIC SCHEDULE