The Museum of Appalachia announced it will no longer be putting on the Tennessee Fall Homecoming Festival after 38 years of organizing the annual celebration of history.
Stephen Dean, the museum's board of directors chairman, said the festival had grown to the point where it was no longer financially able to put on the festival.
“Homecoming was an enormous investment for a museum of our size,” Dean said. “If we lost a day of attendance due to weather, we simply could not make it up. Even if a Homecoming was successful financially, the amount of time and effort invested simply wasn’t justifiable. We have to be responsible for the entire Museum’s operation.”
The 38th and final homecoming was held this past October, and the museum said it was one of its most well-received events.
“It was a wonderful send-off for this beloved festival,” said Museum President Elaine Meyer, daughter of Museum founder, John Rice Irwin.
The festival started in 1980 as a one-time event to recognize and celebrate the music and culture of the Southern Appalachians, but grew over the years to a multi-day event attended by tens of thousands of people each year.
The museum said it will miss hosting the festival, but this doesn't mean it will stop hosting special events.
“Nothing can really replace Homecoming, but our plans are to find new ways for visitors to interact with and share in the rich culture that developed in Southern Appalachia. We look forward to announcing our list of special events for 2018 very soon.”