Greeneville's 17th Annual Iris Festival, May 21-22, 2011.
Click the following to learn more about who is participating in this year's festival.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
CRAFTSMEN AND ARTISANS FOOD VENDORS ANTIQUE AVENUE
ENTERTAIMENT AND DANCE SCHEDULES MERCHANTS' MARKET
CORNHOLE(BEAN BAG)TOSS TOURNAMENT
The Greene County Partnership's Iris Festival was created in 1995 and has become the community's major festival of the year, featuring artists, craftsmen, merchants, food vendors and entertainers from across the country.
The festival was designed to offer entertaining local and regional talent, and was promoted as a juried arts/crafts festival. As a juried festival, participating artists and craftsmen must meet certain criteria and can only sell handmade items. All applications go before a committee, which studies submitted photographs and information before accepting or denying each applicant. This insures that all items are handmade and reduces duplication of arts and crafts.
In 2009, the 15th Annual Iris Festival drew more than 25,000 spectators who enjoyed the aromas and tastes of dozens of delicacies from the festival's Food Court. Culinary delights spanned the globe -- from China to Greece, with such taste-temping items as gyros, bloomin onions and tropical delights. Streets were lined with vendors specializing in down-home favorites like ice cream, fudge, fresh-squeezed lemonade and snow cones. Visitors also were drawn to the Iris Festival's entertainment and dance stages. The entertainment stage was filled with blues, gospel, bluegrass and country music performers during the two-day event. The dance stage was a crowd pleaser at the opposite end of the festival area, featuring a varied lineup of performances, including jazz and tap, square dancing, line dancing and clogging.
As an added feature, the festival offers an outstanding Kids' Korner, sponsored by Robbie Britton and Funville, in 2009, which was buzzing with activity. Youngsters enjoyed a variety of fun activities, including a huge slide and moonwalk. Popular music filled the area and provided a draw for youngsters who sought their own kind of fun at the festival.
More than 120 crafters and merchants lined the streets and filled the parking lots of the festival area, some of which demonstrated arts like wheel-thrown pottery, crocheting and woodworking. Many of the crafters provided samples, including homemade apple butter and jellies, to guests during the event.
Greeneville, the festival's central point is surrounded by history and enhanced by Richland Creek which is lined with native Iris and is always a draw for the younger generation on hot festival days. On each of the four corners in the central area are monuments to Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States. A statue of Andrew Johnson, his early home, a replica of his birthplace and the Andrew Johnson Visitor Center are the heart of the activity area.
The Annual Woodcarving Show is held each year in conjunction with the festival, attracting noted woodcarvers from across the southeast. The talented craftsmen not only show and sell their wares, but also compete for prizes during the weekend.
The 15th Annual Iris Festival also featured its fifth Miss Iris Festival pageant which was held in the lecture hall of Greeneville High School. Hundreds of volunteers were involved in making the festival a success. Not only did they provide the manpower for the information booths, soft drink booths and festival memorabilia sales, they assisted with the extensive decorating efforts that took place the day and evening before the festival. Thousands of yards of gossamer and ribbons enhanced the stages, railways and light poles in the downtown area. Participating vendors often commented that they had never participated in a festival where so much effort was expended in decorating and making the event so attractive.
115 Academy Street ~ Greeneville, TN 37743
423-638-4111 ~ Fax 423-638-5345