History

In recent years, the Noble County Historical Society has established Heritage Park on the Noble County Fairgrounds. This historic park holds a log cabin, the Bethel Primitive Baptist Church, a one-room school house and a covered bridge.

The Soakum Festival was formed to utilize Heritage Park and at the same time educate local citizens about early life in Noble County. The activities of the Festival are designed to convey to our people and others the value of their rural heritage.

The Festival is the answer to a desire by the Historical Society to develop a festival centered around life in the 1800's. The members of the committee represent a cross-section of people from Noble County including local artists and crafters who furnished input into the planning of the first festival. The Noble County Chamber of Commerce, Noble County Retail Merchants, Noble County Tourism and other organizations and local businessmen offered encouragement and financial support. The original idea has evolved over the years to become the successful festival it is today.

We are fortunate to have many people in the Appalachian area who want to share their work and talents. Many artists and performing groups come year after year to participate. Folk musicians travel to the festival just to have the experience of playing music together and teaching others about this art form.

Through the years the festival has become a very important event in our area. A large number of people are involved in its creation and ensure that the activities of the festival appeal to all age groups. To make the event even better, we continually look for new activities and programs to broaden participation.