Growing Home is a three-day summer festival honoring the anniversary of eastern Kentucky’s devastating thousand-year flood and celebrating the revitalization of our community in the face of adversity through self-expression, wellness, and organic growth.
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The festival kicks off on the evening of Thursday July 31st with our biggest Levitt Amp Music Series yet, featuring Corduroy Brown. He's a feel-good Appalachian rock performer from Huntington, West Virginia, whose sound has been described as "making you feel like everything is going to be okay." His performance will be opened by Something Sandy and flanked with eclectic food trucks and dozens of artisan craft vendors (some new, some neighbors) in the Mountain Heritage Village area. Join us Friday August 1st at the Appalshop Solar Pavilion as the fun continues in the heart of downtown Whitesburg with a full day of musical performances, workshops, presentations, and guest speakers like award-winning novelist Robert Gipe. Follow us afterwards to Cowan Community Center for our AMI and intern storytelling showcase. If you're an early bird, we hope you'll come out to our farmers' market near the Veterans Memorial Museum the following morning on Saturday August 2nd for the Mountain Laurels and to see what all of our local growers have been nurturing in their gardens this season. The festival will end Saturday afternoon with the unveiling of Lacy Hale and Julian Holt's collaborative Stream of Stories mural behind the old post office.
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VENDOR APPLICATION:
https://forms.gle/aegyQN3ivG5Dghxn9
FOOD TRUCK APPLICATION:
https://forms.gle/KY5okRbzX81vK9Tn7
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Three Sisters: Arts, Health, & Agriculture (AHA)
In the wake of disaster, our rural mountain community turns to the things that root us—arts, health, and agriculture—to heal, rebuild, and grow stronger together. A major part of this festival celebrates creativity as a path to healing. Painting, woodworking, ceramics, music, theater, film, photography, and writing offer therapeutic value in helping us process our stress, grief, and anxiety. Our youth-led storytelling projects also promote inter-generational connection and build strong leadership, lifting rural voices of all ages. Through artistic pursuits, our people can reflect on their past experiences and imagine better futures.
Health, to us, means more than just physical care. It’s also about mental resilience and recovery from addiction. In times of crisis, these needs become even more urgent. That’s why we offer spaces for open conversation and peer support, inviting individuals to step out of survival mode and into a sense of belonging. Through shared meals, outdoor gatherings, and mindful fitness, our neighbors can reconnect in safe and productive ways that heal us as a whole.
Agriculture is at the heart of our heritage. Whether you're a seasoned farmer or a first-time gardener, the act of working the land reminds us that growth is possible even after loss. Our farmers’ markets, educational workshops, and regenerative practices help restore both the earth and the ones who care for it—bringing purpose and pride back to our mountain hollers. By reaping what we’ve sown over the years, we can cultivate hope and renewal one seed at a time.
Also check out other Arts events in Fusagasuga, Health & Wellness events in Fusagasuga, Festivals in Fusagasuga.
