It's Mountain Laurel Season

The Southern Appalachians are lit up in pink to prove it.

I love mountain laurel. The clusters of pale pink cups are stunning, and when the light hits them just right, they glow. When I was growing up, there was a mountain laurel hanging over the creek behind our house, right next to the covered bridge for those of you who are familiar with the house I grew up in. Sometimes we would pick the tiny pink flowers and set them floating in the creek like an armada of miniature coracles to see how far they could travel before getting sucked down by the current. They are watertight little suckers and can go farther than you would think.

Kalmia Latifolia—mountain laurel’s fancy name—is native to eastern North America and is a member of the Ericaceae family along with the blueberry. Unlike the blueberry, mountain laurel is poisonous and should not be consumed, not that anyone here would try to eat one. This evergreen is found throughout the Appalachian Mountains, and it tends to grow in thickets, colloquially called “laurel hells” because they are hard to pass through. Some of my favorite trails are ones that wind through tunnels of laurel and rhododendron, especially during May and June when they are in bloom.

The mountain laurel looms large in Southern culture and has festivals across the South dedicated to it. When I was a kid, my family often went to the Mountain Laurel Festival in Clarkesville, Georgia. I loved everything about it—the vendors, the food, downtown Clarkesville—but the parade was my favorite. The memory that stands out the most for me is how I could feel the drums with my whole body as the marching bands went by. We also got to spend time with my Aunt Carol—the one that makes the gooey, yummy, cheesy macaroni and cheese—who lives nearby. Clarkesville holds their Mountain Laurel Festival on the third Saturday of May each year, and last weekend, they held their 61st festival.

The Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival held in Pineville, Kentucky since 1931 is a big fancy to-do with a beauty pageant and everything. Contestants come from across the state, and each one is expected to perform an originally choreographed 15-second curtsy to the current state governor who will later crown the queen with a tiara of mountain laurel flowers. There are also vendors and festival food. The festival is this weekend if you want to make an impromptu trip to the Bluegrass State. You can find a video of the pageantry here.

Like Clarkesville, Wartburg, Tennessee (population 918), just west of Knoxville, held their Tennessee Mountain Laurel Festival last weekend as well. They have all the live music, arts and crafts, and food you would expect at a festival, but instead of a beauty pageant, they have the Tennessee Mountain Laurel Festival Hiking Marathon. You can choose to hike a half (13.1 miles), a full (26.2) miles, or go big and do the Ultra (100+ miles). Makes me tired just thinking about it, but if pain is your thing, go for it!

Our house in Brevard is surrounded by Mountain Laurel, and it is putting on a show right now! We have several that are over twenty feet tall, and the view from the back porch is of fluffy pink clouds. Jackson and I are definitely enjoying the vibe.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention another ode to the beautiful mountain laurel, and that’s Georgia Mountain Laurel Magazine, also know as The Laurel of Northeast Georgia. I’ve had the pleasure of sharing essays about my grandmother, Claudine Cantrell’s, prayer journal as well as childhood memories of Lake Rabun with their readers. If you’re in Clayton, Georgia, you need to pick up a copy or check them out online.

In Brevard, this weekend is the White Squirrel Festival, and I plan to be in attendance. White squirrels are a thing here, and I’ll report back on them—and the festival—in the upcoming weeks. I hope you all have a lovely and safe Memorial Day Weekend.

Until next time,
Karla