The Town of Troutville is proud to be working with this year's event organizer Muddy Squirrel to bring you the 3rd Annual Troutville Trail Days, an event now thriving on local and regional involvement. Trail Days continues to be a celebration of the Appalachian Trail, its hikers and our community.

This year's Trail Days weekend is taking place Friday June 6 through Sunday June 8 and will offer new and exciting events including multiple venues for a variety of activities appealing to many different audiences including families, hikers, dog lovers, concert goers, and individuals with a love of the Trail and the outdoors. Presented by Outdoor Trails, the outdoor equipment and clothier located in Daleville and Lynchburg, our Trail Days events are brought to you by the many local and regional businesses that come together through sponsorship contributions and volunteer hours. All events are open to the public and most are FREE with the exception of the 5K race and the Saturday evening concert.

In 2012, the Town of Troutville hosted their first Troutville Trail Days, celebrating the A.T. and the Town's designation as an Appalachian Trail Community. The Town's commitment to the community and the A.T. has allowed for many Trail Days events and services to return again this year. The word on the trail and throughout the community has enabled the event to grow and for us to introduce new elements in 2014.

Special activities and resources are in place for the entire weekend for thru-hikers of the Appalachian Trail and are available at no cost including overnight camping in the Troutville Town Park, showers and laundry at the Troutville Fire Department, a welcome dinner and dessert extravaganza on Friday night, gear repair, support vendors and activities through-out the weekend. Through hikers should register either Friday at Troutville Park or Saturday at the information booth at Daleville Town Center to receive complete information on free hiker amenities. Camping at the park and services at the Fire department are offered year round and continue to be a huge asset to promoting our Town and our connection to the Appalachian Trail.

"Troutville Trail Days has continued to bring our Town together as a community year after year," expressed Bill Rader, Mayor of the Town of Troutville. "Our local personality shines through the hospitality we are able to offer toward A.T. hikers and we are proud of that!"

Friday Night Activities (June 6):

Friday night starts out with a warm welcome to our thru-hikers with a picnic dinner at 5pm and 6pm community reception at the Troutville Town Park. All are invited to join us in welcoming the hikers and showing them all about Troutville and our area's hospitality. The evening will culminate with the return of the ultimate baking contest at the Troutville Church of the Brethren at 7:30pm. One of the most talked about activities associated with Troutville Trail Days is the "Battle of the Bakers." Members of the community are invited to enter their favorite dessert in this A.T. "bake-off." Home-cooking deprived thru-hikers judge the event, casting their votes for the tastiest desserts in town. Cool prizes, not to mention the all-important town bragging rights, go to the winners. Bakers who wish to enter should have their desserts at the church no later than 6pm. Interested in watching these dessert's disappear before our very eyes, come on out as we welcome the public to this awesome display of community spirit.

Saturday Activities (June 7):

Our newest partnership with Daleville Town Center will allow the main event venue to be easily accessible by a larger amount of visitors with ample parking and use of their performance stage. The morning starts out with a local highlight with the Botetourt Farmers Market from 8am-12noon. Join us as we celebrate some local flavor, produce and goods at this traditional county farmer's market.
"We are very proud to be part of Troutville Trail Days," shares Steve Claytor with Daleville Town Center. "We expect this year's event will continue to grow and showcase Troutville and Botetourt County's commitment to the A.T. experience. There will be lots of fun and interesting activities for all ages. We look forward to seeing everyone come out for the celebration!"

We have also continued our partnership with Botetourt County Parks, Recreation and Tourism by bringing to you our second venue addition. The cross country course at Greenfield Recreation Park will be the location of this year's Barkett Allen Capital "Bear Bait 5K" race. This is a family friendly 5K with many different race divisions and awards. You don't have to be first, you just have to be faster than the average bear! A.T. hikers race for free, all others can registrar online or onsite the day of the event. The race commences at 9am. Thank you to Botetourt County for providing shuttle services for the hikers to and from the Troutville Town Park on Saturday and Sunday.

The main event will be FREE and open to the public and will include food and retail vendors, trail and outdoor related organizations, and music all day. Visit our website for a list of vendors, service providers and performances. Want to experience the A.T.? Join us for 1-2 mile guided hikes provided by the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club. Shuttles to the Trail will depart from Daleville Town Center starting at 1pm on Saturday. The festivities will move into an evening concert event presented by EventZone and sponsored by the Bank of Botetourt and the Bank of Fincastle. The Riverbank Ramblers will start the evening by bringing a unique, energy-packed sound that combines Americana, Rock, Country, and Grunge. With roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the Ramblers sound has been referred to as Alt-Country, CowPunk, and All killer No filler! The headlining act will be Spirit Family Reunion playing homegrown American music to stomp, clap, shake and holler with. Ever since they started singing together on the street corners, farmer's markets and subway stations of New York City, their songs have rung-out in a pure and timeless way. When Spirit Family Reunion gather to sing, strangers and neighbors come to rejoice in the sound, and there is no divide between performer and spectator. Advance tickets are $8 or $10 at the gate. Children 12 and under are free.

Sunday Activities (June 8):

Food, music and vendors return from 12noon- 5pm at Daleville Town Center. Our most exciting new additions are the "Dog Dayz" events. Introducing "Hiking with your Dog" at 1pm. Join Daniel Pruden, Catawba Mountain Ridge Runner for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, as he discusses the joys and precautions to take when hiking with your furry friend. If you're a dog owner, you won't want to miss this. At 2pm, join us for the Blessing of the Dogs and the Dog Dayz Dash! This fun run/walk with your four-legged furry friends will consist of a short course with a few fun obstacles along the way. The speedy ones are not the only winners, prizes will be given for best matched owner & dog, craziest costume, cutest, curliest, and you name it! All pre-registered pups will receive a super cool bandana and a goody bag sponsored by Botetourt Veterinary Hospital. Don't go anywhere yet, at 2:45pm, will be the Heads or Tails Flyball Club Demo. This relay-style demonstration will showcase the fastest dogs in town.
Be sure to bring your own chairs and blankets to Daleville Town Center to enjoy the great views of the mountains and to sit back and relax while watching great performances all weekend. Daleville Town Center is dog friendly and parking is free.

To learn about all of the great activities planned and for a full schedule of events, visit our website at www.TROUTVILLETRAILDAYS.com

Contact: Tim Miller or Lisa Moyer with Muddy Squirrel
Tel. 540.797.0217 or Email: muddysquirrelinfo@gmail.com