Home 9 What to do in NC 9 Dance in the Dahlias

Dance in the Dahlias

Written by: Marlene Osteen

Photographed By: Wanda Cooper

The ever-surprising beauty of dahlias will be on display all around downtown Highlands when the Highlands Historical Society stages its 11th Annual Dahlia Festival, September 11-12.  In 2020, the Highlands Historical Society successfully reimagined the Dahlia Festival, since crowd size limitations prohibited the usual format.  Thanks to innovative thinking and a relentlessly upbeat show-must-go-on spirit, the society managed to lift this popular event on the town’s calendar out of the Highlands Civic Center and stage it throughout the town itself. 

Since we’re somehow back in Covid-confused times, the 2021 Dahlia Festival, set for the weekend of September 11-12, will once more array dazzling vignettes of dahlias around town. 

Everyone on the Plateau will be treated to the free and socially-distant experience of beautiful dahlias and native plants arranged attractively in random places around town, with emphasis on historical sites. 

The beauty and bounty of this spectacular garden showstopper will be on stunning display; a joyful celebration of dahlias and native plants sponsored by Highlands Historical Society. The enduring beauty of nature and the creativity of local dahlia lovers will provide us all a moment of beauty and joy, during a time when both are sorely needed.

Individuals, groups, gardeners, garden clubs,  and dahlia enthusiasts will be displaying vignettes throughout town.  These beautiful creations will feature dahlias and native plants, and perhaps even a clever or humorous prop or two. 

Part of the fun will be discovering the vignettes while enjoying a stroll around town.  Keys will be in place to direct people on this walking tour and each display will be identified, giving credit to the creators. 

It’s only fitting that the dahlia, a flower that has been grown and revered in our area for generations, has a festival in its honor, and even more so that the Highlands Historical Society makes it happen.  

Past, present, and future, these dazzling dahlias are to be celebrated and admired.

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