28-510: MerleFest is an annual "traditional plus" music festival held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina on the campus of Wilkes Community College . The festival, which is held the last weekend in April, was hosted by Grammy Award winner Doc Watson prior to his death and is named in memory and honor of his son, Eddy Merle Watson , who died in a farm tractor accident in 1985. Originally, the festival
56-402: A Union cavalry leader, led a raid through the town. Shortly after the war ended, Tom Dula (Dooley), a Confederate veteran, was tried and hanged for the murder of his fiancée, Laura Foster. Many people were convinced that one of Dula's jealous ex-girlfriends murdered Foster, and that Dula was innocent of the crime. Dula's story was turned into a top-selling ballad in 1958 by The Kingston Trio ,
84-710: A well-known Wilkes County patriot during the American Revolutionary War , hanged Loyalist militia leaders who supported the British King and opposed American independence from Britain. The oak was located behind the old Wilkes County courthouse. During the Civil War , many of Wilkesboro's residents remained loyal to the Union and opposed the Confederacy . In March 1865 General George Stoneman ,
112-717: Is also the home of the annual MerleFest , Carolina in the Fall, and Brushy Mountain Peach & Heritage festivals. Wilkesboro was founded in 1800 and quickly designated as the county seat. The town is built atop a low, broad ridge which runs for over a mile along the south bank of the Yadkin River. For many decades a popular historic spot in Wilkesboro was the "Tory Oak", a large oak tree from which Colonel Benjamin Cleveland ,
140-693: Is at the Fall Line . The entirety of the Yadkin River and the Great Pee Dee River is part of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin . The meaning of the word Yadkin, derived from Yattken , or Yattkin , a Siouan Indian word, is unknown. In Siouan terminology it may mean "big tree" or "place of big trees." Alternate names include: Yadkin County, North Carolina , and its county seat, the town of Yadkinville , are named after
168-542: Is published weekly and the Journal-Patriot is also published weekly. Wilkes County's two largest radio stations are broadcast from North Wilkesboro: WKBC-FM (97.3 FM) broadcasts Adult Contemporary ( hot AC ) and WKBC (AM) (800 AM) broadcasts American Country music . WTA, Wilkes Transportation Authority , is a local shuttle service based in Wilkesboro that utilizes vans and buses to serve Wilkes County. Fares range from $ 2-$ 24, but are typically around $ 4. There
196-557: Is scheduled shuttle service that runs every hour roughly and unscheduled service that allows for riders to request a van pick up in any part of the county. Daily bus service is available on Greyhound . Sunway buses are advertised as Greyhound Express buses and the bus stop is in front of the Former Federal Building located at 207 West Main Street, Wilkesboro. Bus service goes to Boone, NC and Greensboro, NC , known as
224-687: Is served by the Wilkes County Schools system. Most of Wilkesboro's high school students attend Wilkes Central High School ; it is located in the adjacent community of Moravian Falls . Wilkes Early College, based at Wilkes Community College , and one charter school, Bridges Charter School in State Road, North Carolina , offer other high-school options to Wilkesboro's students. Middle school students in Wilkesboro attend Central Wilkes Middle School, located in Moravian Falls, while
252-661: The Episcopal and Presbyterian denominations. The nearby town of North Wilkesboro contains Wilkes County's only Roman Catholic church: a parish church named for Saint John Baptist de la Salle, and part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. Yadkin River The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in the US state of North Carolina , flowing 215 miles (346 km). It rises in
280-933: The Grateful Dead singing with Sam Bush and Gillian Welch with the Waybacks. Other artists who have performed on MerleFest's 14 stages over the first 24 years have included Dolly Parton , Willie Nelson , Earl Scruggs , The Kruger Brothers , Carolina Chocolate Drops , John Prine , Alison Krauss and Union Station , Donna the Buffalo , Natalie MacMaster , Vassar Clements , Hot Tuna , Alan Jackson , Darius Rucker , David Grisman , Ricky Skaggs , Emmylou Harris , Jerry Douglas , Del McCoury , Billy Strings , Junior Brown , Mary Chapin Carpenter , Claire Lynch , Elvis Costello , Howard Armstrong , Randy Travis , Lyle Lovett , The Doobie Brothers , Robert Plant and
308-608: The National Register of Historic Places . As of the 2020 United States census , there were 3,687 people, 1,386 households, and 808 families residing in the town. As of the 2010 census, there were 3,413 people living in Wilkesboro. The population density was 622.5 inhabitants per square mile (240.3/km ). The racial makeup of Wilkesboro was 81.5% White , 8.9% African American , 3.0% Asian , 0.2% Native American , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 4.0% from other races , and 2.3% from two or more races. The population of Wilkesboro
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#1732793066461336-741: The 100,000-acre Wachovia tract following its purchase in 1753 (See also Old Salem ). On May 9, 1771, when marching to join Governor William Tryon 's army at the Battle of Alamance , a colonial force was intercepted along the Yadkin in Rowan County by a larger force of Regulators formed under Captain Benjamin Merrill . Realizing their forces were outnumbered, Tryon's men fell back to Salisbury , and were unable to join
364-572: The Band of Joy , Sharon Gilchrist , The Avett Brothers , Tony Rice , François Vola , Old Crow Medicine Show , Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers , Zac Brown Band , Dierks Bentley , Linda Ronstadt , Levon Helm , Taj Mahal , Bruce Hornsby , Cadillac Sky and Vince Gill . Wilkesboro, North Carolina Wilkesboro is a town in and the county seat of Wilkes County, North Carolina , United States. The population
392-902: The Mountaineer East/West line with prices as low as $ 4. Passengers can connect to Greyhound services throughout the East Coast via the J. Douglas Galyon Depot where the line ends. Like most of Wilkes County, Wilkesboro has long been a bastion of the Republican Party . Wilkesboro's largest religious group are the Southern Baptists , but the town does contain substantial numbers of Methodists , Presbyterians , Lutherans , and Episcopalians . The first two churches to be established in Wilkes County were built in Wilkesboro; they were missionary churches for
420-609: The Yadkin-Pee Dee and during drought years the division of the water is a contentious issue. The Mitchell River was impacted in the 1980s by massive runoff of sediment from land clearing at the Olde Beau development. Numerous citations from the NC EPA were issued against developer Earl Slick but the development proceeded. Cones Lake is a reservoir located immediately upstream of where the Yadkin River begins, marking it one of
448-525: The elementary schools that serve the town are Wilkesboro Elementary, Moravian Falls Elementary, and CC Wright Elementary. Wilkesboro is the home of Wilkes Community College , a public, coed, two-year college within the North Carolina Community College System . The college's enrollment is typically around 3,500 students. Wilkesboro is served by a few media sources based in nearby North Wilkesboro. The Record of Wilkes
476-721: The festival brings over $ 10 million in business and tourist revenue to Wilkes County and surrounding areas each year. The music is spread across 13 different stages and four days, which provides festival visitors with a wide variety of musical venues, groups, and styles to choose from. MerleFest offers a mix of traditional and contemporary roots music, a music blend that Doc himself named "traditional plus." It brings together Bluegrass , contemporary acoustic, blues , folk , old-time music , Cajun , jazz , country, Celtic, Americana, rock and singer-songwriter music. Artists can often be enjoyed in on-stage jam sessions featuring unusual combinations of musicians, such as Bob Weir , formerly of
504-569: The governor until after the battle at Alamance was fought. In 1859 the NC Supreme court noted "it is certain that the Yadkin river is capable of private ownership and that some parts of the riverbed have been granted to private individuals." The court determined that the owners of the dam across the Yadkin could not have his property taken without just compensation. The river is extensively used for recreation. Fishing consists mostly of sunfish , catfish , largemouth bass and white bass in
532-636: The initial sources of the Yadkin River. There are many reservoirs created by damming the Yadkin and Pee Dee rivers within the bounds of North Carolina, and are listed from upstream to downstream: All but W. Kerr Scott generate hydroelectric power, and High Rock, Tuckertown, Badin, and Falls were managed by Alcoa under contract with the US Government, under oversight by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The contract with FERC expired in April 2008, and
560-592: The northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river are impounded by dams for water, power, and flood control . The river becomes the Pee Dee River at the confluence of the Uwharrie River south of the community of Badin and east of the town of Albemarle . The river then flows into South Carolina near Cheraw , which
588-795: The river for 163 miles (262 km). The paddle trail is a part of the North Carolina State Trails System, which is a section of the NC Division of Parks and Recreation . A system of launch points and camping locations were created along the river for the trail. Principal tributaries of the Yadkin include the Reddies , Roaring , Mitchell , Fisher , Ararat and South Yadkin Rivers. Water supplies for many communities in North and South Carolina are taken from
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#1732793066461616-704: The river. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Yadkin basin was inhabited by Siouan-speaking tribes. The Saura and Tutelo tribes are mentioned in historic records of the area. Before the Revolutionary War , colonial settlers of primarily Scots-Irish , German , and English extraction migrated into the Yadkin basin from Virginia and Pennsylvania using the Great Wagon Road and the Carolina Road . Notably, these included Moravian colonists from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania who occupied
644-686: The spring and early summer. Canoeing and rafting are also possible. A portion of the river flows through Pilot Mountain State Park . Morrow Mountain State Park and the Uwharrie National Forest are along the banks of the river where the river's name changes to the Pee Dee River . In 1985, the NC General Assembly established the Yadkin River State Trail as a paddle trail which follows
672-650: The title of which was Tom Dooley . The story was subsequently turned into a 1959 movie starring Michael Landon as Dula, and each summer the Wilkes Playmakers present a popular play based on the story. The Robert Cleveland Log House , Downtown Wilkesboro Historic District , Federal Building , J. T. Ferguson Store , Thomas B. Finley Law Office , J. L. Hemphill House , Johnson-Hubbard House , Old Wilkes County Jail , St. Paul's Episcopal Church and Cemetery , Wilkes County Courthouse , Wilkesboro Presbyterian Church , and Wilkesboro-Smithey Hotel are listed on
700-765: Was 3,687 at the 2020 census . The town is located along the south bank of the Yadkin River , directly opposite the town of North Wilkesboro . Wilkesboro is a Small Town Main Street community and has recently revitalized its historic downtown to include the Carolina West Wireless Community Commons, Wilkes Communications Pavilion, Heritage Square and Splash Pad. Cub Creek Park is adjacent to the downtown and contains many amenities, which include baseball, walking trails, mountain biking trails, trout fishing, dog park, basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts, picnic shelters, etc. Wilkesboro
728-474: Was an annual homecoming event in memory of Merle Watson. It is believed the festival got its name when a woman called asking for tickets to "Merlefest". The festival, founded in 1988 by Doc Watson, is the primary fundraising event for Wilkes Community College and attracts crowds consistently exceeding 75,000 in number, making it one of the largest music festivals in the United States. It is estimated that
756-625: Was spread out, with 21.7% being under the age of 20, 6.1% from 20-24, 21.9% from 25-44, 25.6% from 45-64, and 24.5% being 65 and over. The median age was 45.2 years old, more specifically 40.8 for males and 49.5 for females. Wilkesboro's largest industry is the Tyson Foods poultry processing plant; it is one of the largest poultry plants east of the Mississippi River. Local communication companies, Wilkes Communications and Carolina West Wireless are based in Wilkesboro. Wilkesboro
784-406: Was under review after the N.C. Division of Water Quality revoked their water-quality certificate that the company needs to continue operating its power-generating dams along the river. The former governor of North Carolina, Bev Perdue , and other North Carolina politicians made it a priority to recapture the Yadkin River water rights, but this has been denied. On September 22, 2016, Alcoa received
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