Round Top Folk Festival planned for Burritt on the Mountain

HUNTSVILLE – Burritt on the Mountain and the Burritt Folk School are planning the inaugural Round Top Folk Festival. Named for the mountain on which Burritt sits, the festival will feature traditional art and music, Nov. 5-6.

Festival organizers say over 30 local demonstrators, artisans, musicians, and more will be participating this year with unique items for sale, as well as special demonstrations representing traditional art and culture of north Alabama.

On Friday, Nov. 5 at 6 p.m., Microwave Dave and the Nukes will kick off the weekend festivities. Guests can enjoy a variety of beverages available at a cash bar, with S’mores and food truck fare also available for purchase. This concert is sponsored by Huntsville’s Amphitheater.

On Saturday, Nov. 6 from 10-4, a wide selection of traditional musicians will play throughout the Historic Park and over 30 local demonstrators and artisans will share their crafts and skills through demonstrations with items for sale. These skills, all taught at the Burritt Folk School, preserve the traditional arts of our ancestors in the Cumberland Plateau region.

At 2 p.m. Valley Road Bluegrass Band will perform live on the Gazebo. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy lunch from the food trucks and a variety of craft beer and wine will be available for purchase throughout the day. This concert is sponsored by Tyonek.

“Burritt has long been a place to enjoy the outdoors for both recreation and history. We preserve traditional arts, skills and handicrafts and offer opportunities for guests to experience the way things once were done. The Round Top Folk Festival is an expansion of our Folklife Festival and has combined the incredibly important traditional arts with something Burritt does remarkably well…concerts! This fits seamlessly into our mission to enhance lives and build community through educational, artistic, and recreational experiences while preserving our heritage, land, and historic structures,” said Leslie Ecklund, Burritt CEO.

Tickets can be purchased at burrittonthemountain.com. All concert goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.

“This is a great opportunity to enjoy the mountain air and visit with some of our Folk School instructors as they demonstrate their crafts. Our studio and workshops spaces will be open as well as the historic buildings throughout the park. I invite people to come see for themselves and be a part of our creative community,” said Jana Parris, Folk School Program Manager.

To view the full list of artist vendors, demonstrators and local musicians, visit burrittonthemountain.com for up to date listings.

The festival itself is mostly outside throughout our museum grounds and Historic Park. However, as part of precautions for COVID-19, Burritt on the Mountain requests all guests wear masks when indoors.

Why the name Round Top Folk Festival? Did you know that Burritt on the Mountain actually sits atop Round Top Mountain? Round Top Mountain, at 1,585 feet elevation, is identified as the the southwestern knub, or plateau, of Monte Sano Mountain and is listed in the Summit category in Madison County. Burritt sits within the natural beauty of Round Top Mountain, overlooking the City of Huntsville.

Many don’t know there is a distinction, but Dr. Burritt made certain to identify Round Top by name in his will, leaving his house and land to the City of Huntsville to use as a museum for all to enjoy. Today, Burritt boasts over 4 miles of nature trails that circle around Round Top Mountain and connect to the Land Trust of Madison County and Monte Sano State Park. The 2 newest trails being Old Quarry Trail and Viduta Trails completed Spring 2021. Our trails are filled with history and other little known facts, as well as the natural beauty of the mountain.

What is Burritt on the Mountain?
When Dr. Henry Burritt left his home and 167 acres to the City of Huntsville, Burritt on the Mountain became the first museum in Huntsville and, 66 years later, Dr. Burritt’s vision has been realized as the park welcomes thousands of visitors a year. Not only is Burritt on the Mountain one of Huntsville’s staple tourist attractions, it also is a vibrant center for historical, cultural, educational, and entertainment activities for visitors of all ages. Huntsville is unique in that the city proudly displays where it is going and, through Burritt, where it has been.

Looking down from the bluff, Burritt visitors can locate evidence of the city’s high-tech economy: the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, a towering Saturn V rocket, NASA buildings, and an Army research and development base. Do an about face and the view shifts to 19th- and 20th-century Alabama. Historic cabins, the Old Country Church, and living farm and folk life displays dot the park, staffed with interpreters in period dress.

Whether in the Burritt Mansion, at a Folk School class, attending a children’s camp or enjoying Cocktails at The View, Burritt’s mantra is Heartfelt Hospitality. We think that Dr. Burritt would have wanted it that way!