The Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk!!!

We all know that groundhogs are supposed to predict the coming of spring with their “shadowy” forecast. But did you know that there is another animal that can predict the severity of winter? That’s right, the Woolly Worm (also known as the Woolly Bear caterpillar) has long been lauded by mountain folk as a forecaster of the coming winter. While scientists dispute the idea that a caterpillar can accurately predict the weather, no one disputes that the Banner Elk Woolly Worm Festivals predictions have an 85% accuracy rate.
The Wooly Bear caterpillar has 13 brown and black segments, which the late Charles Von Canon explained to the small crowd that huddled together in the sub-freezing temperatures at the first Woolly Worm Festival correspond to the 13 weeks of winter. The lighter brown a segment is, the milder that week of winter will be. The darker black a segment is, the colder and snowier the corresponding week will be.
While the accuracy of the worm’s predictions are amazing, for the most part the festival is about having fun! So since 1978, the residents of the village nestled between the Carolina's two largest ski resorts have celebrated the coming of the snow season with a Woolly Worm Festival. They set aside the third weekend in October (October 18-19, 2008) to determine which one worm will have the honor of predicting the severity of the coming winter; and they make that worm earn the honor by winning heat after heat of hard-fought races - up a three-foot length of string.
First, no person is more likely to have a winning worm than any other person. There is no home-field advantage, no preferred age for the person who sets the worm on the string (although worms raced by children do seem to win a bit more frequently).
Second, selecting names for the Woolly Worms is a delightful way to learn how amazingly creative your friends and family members can be. Consider these clever monikers: Merryweather, Patsy Climb and Dale Wormhardt.
Finally, there is no other experience in life that can produce the absurd euphoria that comes from cheering for a caterpillar to climb a string. It is so indisputably ridiculous that it is completely liberating!
And the $1,000 first prize that accompanies the prestige of having your worm used to pronounce the official winter forecast doesn't hurt either.
The Woolly Worm races begin around 10 a.m. Each heat consists of 20 worms and races continue all day until the grand final around 4 p.m. The winning worm on Saturday is declared the official winter forecasting agent. The Sunday worm races are for prestige, fun and small prizes.
In addition to the Woolly Worm Races, the festival features crafts, food vendors, live entertainment and much more. Last year's festival attracted an estimated 20,000 fans, 140 vendors and around 1,000 race entrants.
The Woolly Worm Festival is sponsored by the Avery Banner Elk Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk and a portion of the proceeds go to support children's charities throughout the county.

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