Mind Your Business - A Podcast Series produced by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce
Oct 8, 2026 · 39 min · 26 segments
October is PRIME TIME in the High Country for visual wonder, culinary joy, and a genuine connection to all of the good that arts and culture bring to our world. October 17-18th is widely viewed as…
David JacksonHostVictoria BowmanGuestJulie GatesGuestTracy HeissGuestJonathan ChesneyGuest
There you can gain access to full archives, occasional bonus content like last week's Meet the Candidates Forum archives.
We've got extended episodes there and plenty more as we connect you with the business news that you can use from right here in the We are moving into a rather magical time of year here in the high country.
Festival season is upon us from Oktoberfest and celebrating the beverages that come with that experience to some of the longest standing arts and crafts events out there.
Fall festival season is downright fun and beneficial to so many because most of the fall festivals in the high country have a philanthropic connection.
These events create grant opportunities for service-based nonprofits to continue their mission-driven work throughout the year.
All of these events bring people to the area, and that means impact for Main Street retailers, outdoor adventure providers, and most importantly, the artists and creatives themselves that see these fall events serve as the springboard to the very important holiday period that will be here before we know it.
A few numbers for you because, you know, if you forgot, we're a numbers podcast.
Last year, the third weekend of October brought us Valley Country Fair, the Woolly Worm Festival up in Banner Elk, and App State's Homecoming football game.
Now, according to our Placer AI data, downtown Boone saw nearly 94,000 non-resident visits that weekend.
Overall, Watauga County saw 125,000 visitors from October 17th through the 19th of 2025.
They drive significant business to the festivals themselves and supporting business community around them.
According to a report released by the Watauga Arts Council, creative economy earnings grew 14.6% in 2025 and sales grew nearly 23%.
Overall, there were nearly 1,500 jobs directly connected to the creative economy just here in Watauga County.
Coming up on this installment of Mind Your Business, we will hear directly from organizers of the Valley Country Fair and the Woolly Worm Festival.
Two great events, one exciting weekend, and located just about six and a half beautiful, windy miles from one another.
There you can gain access to full archives, occasional bonus content like last week's Meet the Candidates Forum archives.
We've got extended episodes there and plenty more as we connect you with the business news that you can use from right here in the We are moving into a rather magical time of year here in the high country.
Festival season is upon us from Oktoberfest and celebrating the beverages that come with that experience to some of the longest standing arts and crafts events out there.
Fall festival season is downright fun and beneficial to so many because most of the fall festivals in the high country have a philanthropic connection.
These events create grant opportunities for service-based nonprofits to continue their mission-driven work throughout the year.
All of these events bring people to the area, and that means impact for Main Street retailers, outdoor adventure providers, and most importantly, the artists and creatives themselves that see these fall events serve as the springboard to the very important holiday period that will be here before we know it.
A few numbers for you because, you know, if you forgot, we're a numbers podcast.
Last year, the third weekend of October brought us Valley Country Fair, the Woolly Worm Festival up in Banner Elk, and App State's Homecoming football game.
Now, according to our Placer AI data, downtown Boone saw nearly 94,000 non-resident visits that weekend.
Overall, Watauga County saw 125,000 visitors from October 17th through the 19th of 2025.
They drive significant business to the festivals themselves and supporting business community around them.
According to a report released by the Watauga Arts Council, creative economy earnings grew 14.6% in 2025 and sales grew nearly 23%.
Overall, there were nearly 1,500 jobs directly connected to the creative economy just here in Watauga County.
Coming up on this installment of Mind Your Business, we will hear directly from organizers of the Valley Country Fair and the Woolly Worm Festival.
Two great events, one exciting weekend, and located just about six and a half beautiful, windy miles from one another.
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