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This year marks the 15th Annual Scots-Irish Festival that will be held in Dandridge on Sept. 30 where live entertainment and vendors will be set up for all to enjoy.

Mike Dockery, festival coordinator, assures that the festival is not for profit. The event is free to all in that it is fully funded and driven by patrons, sponsors, and donations.

The mission of the festival is to provide community entertainment and education about heritage of the Scots-Irish pioneers who settled in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina in the 1700s.

Some of the festival’s vendors include Highland Brewing (co-sponsor of an ale garden), Bush’s Best, Cherokee Distributing Company and Franklin Realty.

This year’s festival Grand Marshalls will be retired U.S. Rep. Jimmy Duncan and his wife Vickie Duncan. Duncan was a founding member and co-chairman of the Congressional Friends of Scotland Caucus for 15 years.

“We’re real proud of this Scot-Irish festival, going for 15 years now. We think it’s good to preserve Scot-Irish Heritage and educate others [about it],” Dockery said.

“COVID hurt us. We went off [not hosting the festival] for two years, we lost a lot of vendors,” he said. “We see around 5,000-6,000 people a day, though last year attendance was down, again due to COVID.”

Dockery explained that usually at these festivals there are a plethora of games, but with both the difficult effects of the pandemic as well as limited lawn space, the Dandridge festival will specialize mainly in food, vendors and live music and dance entertainment. An activities booth specifically dedicated to children will be set up as well. Vendors will mainly sell items Scottish, Irish and Celtic in nature. There will also be a beer garden co-sponsored by Asheville-based brewing company Highland Brewing.

There will be special emphasis on Celtic roots and Appalachian music given the context and location of the festival. Highland Dance and Irish Step Dancing is also something attendees can expect to see.

Volunteers are welcome and appreciated for setup and overall support. The festival’s entrance will be located at the intersection of Main Street and Gay Street in historic downtown Dandridge.