Visit Waynesville for the “Ramps Fest”
Waynesville, North Carolina is a rather small town in western NC, in the beautiful (and popular with tourists of all ages) Blue Ridge Mountains. People visit Waynesville in hopes of finding a retirement getaway, to use a week of vacation time to explore the mountains, or on weekend in the autumn to see the leaves turn colors. And, of course, to attend the Ramps Festival. But in this case ramps is not one of those inclines you drive a motorcycle, bike, or car over but rather, it is a delicacy harvested in the wild that you eat.
Ramps are a pungent type of green, akin to spring onions, and when they are ready for harvest in May, people use them in casseroles, omelets, salads, and entrees. At the Ramps Festival of Waynesville, they use them also as an excuse to have a huge town celebration, including a ramp eating contest, square dancing, arts and crafts booths, and a farmers market where you buy your own ramps, fresh from harvest. One of the most popular events is the team competition for cloggers. Clogging is an old fashioned type of dancing related to both square dancing and tap dancing. The performers wear country and western outfits and beat their boots in time to the music, while kicking up a storm on stage. So if you want to get a real “taste” of mountain life, enjoy a plate a ramps while taking in all the other sights and sounds of the Waynesville Ramps Festival.