It’s time to GET WOOLLY

The 31st annual Woolly Worm Festival will be held in downtown Banner Elk on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18 and 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will feature food, crafts, games music and, of course, woolly worm racing.

As the legend goes, Native Americans were the first to recognize the weather wisdom of these fuzzy insects, though it’s doubtful their predictions where as spectacular as the Woolly Worm Festival held in Banner Elk every year. The Woolly Worm festival is one of the largest autumn festivals in the High Country, annually drawing more than 15,000 people.

Throughout the day on Saturday, festival goers can participate in the races leading to the race for the grand prize, $1,000 and the right to forecast the weather for the winter of 2008-09. The grand prize race will be at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Those who would like to race worms of their own can bring them from home or purchase one from one of the many local woolly worm breeders at the festival.

The Woolly Worm Festival is sponsored by the Avery Banner Elk Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk and a portion of the proceeds go to support children’s charities throughout the county.

The Rules

There are a few rules, as in all competitions, that must be followed during the race proceedings. First, entrants must register their worm. After paying an entry fee of $5, entrants must also name their worms. Remember to be creative. The woolly worm must be a real woolly worm. Mr. Woolly Worm, the announcer, will accept no imitations. The scientific name of a woolly worm is the pyrrhactia isabella.

To know if your woolly worm is not just your average caterpillar, it should have thirteen bands of brown and black, any combination of the two colors will do. Just remember one thing- everyone wants to be a woolly winner, so register your worm early. Everyone cannot be guaranteed a spot in the race.

Next each contestant is assigned a heat. Twenty-five worms compete in each heat, and the number of heats is determined by the number of contestants and the weather.

At the time one’s heat is called to go, each contestant must be ready with their worm in hand. Worms must race 42 inches up a vertical string attached to cardboard on the backboard of a flatbed trailer.

When Mr. Woolly Worm shouts “Go,” human contestants must not touch the worm, string or race board. People are, however, allowed to holler, whistle, or say just about anything to get their worm to move. “It’s a real frantic race,” Krege said.

The first worm to reach the top of the string is announced the winner. Former North Carolina State University and Olympic basketball player Tommy Burleson judges the race. It is only natural that this seven-foot, four-inch athlete does so, because he has the advantage of seeing the top of the strings.

The winner of each heat receives a $20 prize, and enters into a semifinal, where the winner will receive $100. You all know what the prize is for the finals, good ol’ Appalachian fame and fortune.

You gain the reputation, honor and prestige of having one heck of a fast woolly worm, one fast enough to win you one thousand big ones and the gratitude of thousands of people waiting on your worm to determine their winter weather. Don’t be a woolly bully! A veterinarian will check the winning worms for any steroids or other stimulants. Contestants who come up positive will be disqualified.

What is it about a furry little worm that can predict the weather? The secret lies in the number thirteen and the colors brown and black.

There are 13 segments on the woolly worm which correspond with the 13 weeks in winter. The head of the woolly worm represents the first week of winter and the tail represents the last. The winter weather is determined on a scale from light brown, which indicates a mild winter, to dark black, which indicates severe winter weather. “We’ll challenge any official...you can’t beat nature when it comes to predicting weather,” said “Mr. Woolly Worm” Roy Krege. The judge will read each worm to come up with a forecast that is reportedly accurate 57 percent of the time.

For more information, contact the Avery/Banner Elk Chamber of Commerce at (828) 898-5605 or (800) 972-2183.