It’s that time of year again. Williamsburg’s yearly festival tradition, Old Fashioned Trading Days, will take place next week, Sept. 5-7. This year’s event will feature some new names and familiar faces when it comes to the scheduled entertainment, as well as over 100 booths offering food, clothing items, homemade crafts, home goods, and everything in between.
“It’s getting bigger and bigger,” said Williamsburg Tourism Director Alvin Sharpe of Old Fashioned Trading Days, which is celebrating its 41st anniversary in 2024. “We’ll probably have the biggest crowd that we’ve ever had because of the entertainment this year.”
From the time that the festival kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 5, until festivities wrap up on the night of Sept. 7, there will be plenty of options for attendees to enjoy live music from several different genres.
On Thursday, gospel singing will get underway in Bill Woods Park with the Level Green Boys at 4 p.m. The Higher Ground Singers will take the stage next, followed by Reed Elliott, Kelly Crabb and the Bowling Sisters, and then Adam Crabb at about 8 p.m.
Sharpe said that he is excited about having Kelly Crabb and Adam Crabb as part of the gospel music lineup at this year’s festival, and expects a large turnout to see both acts. Formerly of the Crabb Family gospel group, the two have a long list of major awards and award nominations between them. For more information, look them up online at www.kellycrabbandthebowlingsisters.com and www.adamcrabb.com.
Also Thursday, on stage 2 at the Green Space on Main, southern rock acts Low Down South and 8 Daze Sober will be performing live at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively.
On Friday, some of our talented local students will get to take the stage at Bill Woods Park starting with the Whitley Central 5th grade choir at 10 a.m. The University of the Cumberlands band will play at 10:30, followed by the Williamsburg High School choir at 11 and the WHS band at 11:30.
Bluegrass music will resume Friday night at Bill Woods Park starting at 4 p.m. with Straight Creek, Virgil Bowlin, Bobby Hamblin and the Lawless, Sunset Canyon Band and local favorites Tidal Wave Road. Over on stage 2, Old Fashioned Trading Days will welcome the Kevin Thomas Jones Band at 6 p.m., followed by country rockers County Wide at 8 p.m.
Saturday’s festivities will get underway with the classic car show at the judicial center at 9 a.m. Registration for the Annual Sid Strunk Memorial corn toss tournament will start at 11 a.m. with competition set to start at noon. A little while later, at 1:30 p.m., on-site registration for the Reclaiming Futures corn toss tournament will begin.
A third day of live gospel entertainment will feature another five acts, including His Heart, The Believers, The Whisnants, Jonathan Wilburn and Jeff Tolbert and Primitive Road. Live music will begin at 5 p.m. Saturday on stage 2, with Michael Christopher, the returning Zac Hart Band and Williamsburg’s own Paint Creek.
All of this and more is coming to downtown Williamsburg starting next Thursday, Sept. 5. Booth setup will begin Wednesday morning and last throughout the day, so Sharpe stressed that no vehicles should be parked on Main Street, 3rd Street or Sycamore Street after midnight Tuesday.
For more information on the 41st Annual Old Fashioned Trading Days Festival, contact Williamsburg Tourism at (606) 549-0530.
