RADFORD -- The Radford Highlanders Festival, a popular fall destination for Southwest Virginia residents and tourists across the nation for more than a decade, will take place Friday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 11, in downtown Radford and on the campus of Radford University. A joint partnership between the city and university, this is the festival’s 13th year and features familiar and new events.

Two of the more noticeable and exciting changes are the music schedule and an increased presence of student involvement and community and town volunteers. Traditionally, the headline musical performance featured two afternoon concerts. The 2008 festival includes a daytime line up of regional Celtic and pipe and drum music and an evening concert in Bondurant Auditorium, Preston Hall, featuring performances by Scythian — pictured below — and Seven Nations. Admission to the festival is free but tickets are required for the evening concerts. Admission is $12 for RU students and $15 for general public. Tickets go on sale August 11 and ticket outlets will be announced soon.

The weekend begins with a scotch tasting on Oct. 10 at the Ken Farmer Auction House on Harrison Street in Radford. Sponsored by Main Street Radford, the tasting requires reserved tickets.

Events resume on Saturday at The Riverway with a 5K race sponsored by the Radford Recreation Department. The Riverway is the City of Radford’s bikeway/walkway system.

A pancake breakfast, sponsored by the Radford Lamplighters and Main Street Radford, takes place at 8 a.m. at the downtown Farmer’s Market. Parade lovers will be pleased to know the parade is back after a hiatus last season. Look for more bands and floats and a few surprises.

Laurie Buchwald, chair of the city’s festival planning committee, says Radford is pleased to partner with RU. “The Highlanders Festival has a wonderful history, and we believe that the collaboration will allow the festival to be an even greater success in the future, showcasing both the university and the city,” she said. “Students, alumni, New River Valley citizens and visitors will certainly enjoy the many attractions of the festival. The steering committee, comprised of members from both the city and the university, is working hard to plan an exciting event for 2008.”

The festival, held in conjunction with RU’s annual Parents Weekend, takes place on Moffett Quad, Heth and McConnell lawns. Returning are the heavyweight athletic games, craft and food vendors, strolling minstrel groups and more. The Appalachian Folk Arts Festival, sponsored by RU’s Appalachian Events Committee, will be near the campus fountain area and showcases some of the region’s most celebrated traditional crafts and crafters including basket weavers, quilters, a blacksmith, artists and more.

Additional information on all events will be forthcoming in the next few weeks and continuous updates are online.

To learn more about the tasting and downtown events, contact Becky Haupt, Main Street Radford director, at (540) 831-3656. For information on events happening on festival day, contact Bonnie Roberts Erickson in RU’s Office of University Relations at (540) 831-5182 or e-mail broberts@radford.edu.