Poage Landing Days Ashland’s Founding Festival Reaches a New Horizon

Poage Landing Days

Ashland’s Founding Festival Reaches a New Horizon

Rebecca Hemlock

The Ashland Beacon

For more than three decades, Poage Landing Days has stood as a bright beacon in downtown Ashland—a festival born from the town’s very origins and now amplified by a community that believes in celebration, history, and shared prosperity.

What began as Poage’s Landing, a modest settlement established by the Poage family in 1786, has evolved into a three-day extravaganza stretching across four city blocks, weaving music, arts, crafts, and family-friendly fun into the fabric of Ashland’s annual calendar.

As 2025 marks the festival’s 35th year, organizers, volunteers, and sponsors alike reaffirm a simple, powerful conviction: this event is more than entertainment; it’s a collective investment in the city’s heritage and its future.

The numbers alone reveal a festival that has grown with intention. Over the last three decades, Poage Landing Days has expanded from a humble gathering to a robust celebration featuring two music stages, a diverse array of specialty vendors, and a dedicated children’s amusement area.

Add to that the Conefest Skateboard Competition—one of the nation’s longest-running slalom contests, now entering its 20th year at this very festival—and you have a weekend that resonates with multiple generations. The event’s scale matches its purpose: to honor the town’s founding, celebrate the present, and pave the way for tomorrow’s traditions.

Among the most cherished rituals is the Poage Family Reunion, a yearly gathering that invites descendants of the original Poage family to connect, reflect, and contribute to Ashland’s living story. It’s a poignant reminder that history isn’t just carved in archives and monuments; it’s carried forward by the people who choose to return, remember, and build together.

This sense of continuity gives Poage Landing Days its enduring warmth—a warmth echoed by residents, visitors, and vendors who describe the festival as a sensory delight: the food court’s inviting aroma, the hum of conversations, the crackle of live performances, and the sight of families strolling through streets lined with stands and stages.

Behind the scenes, the festival is a testament to collaborative resilience. Organizers are quick to credit the local business community for support that makes every year possible. School volunteers, too, play a pivotal role, lending hands for setup, tear-down, and staffing children’s activities. The result is a weekend that feels both festive and thoughtfully organized, where every detail—from stage lighting to vendor layout to electrical provisioning—is planned with care.

As one longtime participant notes, the early mornings before the crowds arrive offer a rare, almost magical calm—a moment to savor the preparation that culminates in weeks of public celebration.

Funding remains a critical, ongoing challenge, as it does for many charitable, community-led endeavors. Poage Landing Days Festival, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit steered by a volunteer board and committee, relies on a blend of sponsorships and vendor fees.

The broader economic climate inevitably shapes how resources are allocated, but the festival’s mission remains clear: to deliver a weekend that brings people together, showcases Ashland’s unique charms, and stimulates local commerce.

In 2024 alone, more than 16,000 visitors contributed to a positive economic ripple—patrons who ate, shopped, and experienced all that Ashland has to offer. What sets Poage Landing Days apart is not just its scale or its nostalgia, but its forward-looking stance. The planning process begins long before the festival dates arrive.

Organizers review the prior year’s activities, assess what worked, and identify opportunities to broaden the festival’s appeal. Entertainment budgets are crafted with an eye toward innovation, ensuring that audiences encounter fresh experiences while preserving the event’s traditional allure.

City approval is a key milestone, after which detailed logistics—including venue arrangements, vendor placement, and stage schedules—are meticulously coordinated to guarantee a seamless experience for attendees.

Community pride is strong during Poage Landing Days. It’s in the conversations that start at dawn, the shared meals, and the concerts that bring residents and visitors into close contact with Ashland’s downtown energy. It’s also in the quiet exchanges of gratitude between volunteers and sponsors—a mutual acknowledgment that this festival thrives because people choose to invest their time, resources, and heart into something bigger than themselves.

Christy Meade’s hopeful words—that Poage Landing Days can continue to grow and showcase the beauty of Ashland for years to come—capture the sentiment that fuels the festival’s ambition.

Looking ahead, organizers envision a festival that remains rooted in its history while embracing opportunities for growth. They aim to preserve the very essence that has made Poage Landing Days a beloved annual rite of spring and summer, even as new participants discover the event’s charm.

The festival’s story—from Poage’s Landing to the present-day campus of music, crafts, and community reunions—is a narrative of enduring connection. It invites locals and visitors alike to experience Ashland not as a passing stop, but as a living, evolving community with a rich past and an exciting future.

As Poage Landing Days enters another year, the call to participate grows louder. Attend the festival, support its vendors, volunteer your time, or simply wander the four-block showcase of culture and history that this city has nurtured since 1786.

Whether you’re drawn by the Conefest’s thrilling slalom runs, the soulful rhythms of the two stages, or the heartfelt reunion that ties generations together, Poage Landing Days offers more than entertainment. It offers a shared commitment to preserving Ashland’s heritage while inviting the whole community to imagine, celebrate, and prosper together.

Friday, September 26, 2025

●      12:00 PM Festival Opens

○      Food and Specialty Drink Vendors,

○      Specialty Vendors,

○      Artesian and Crafters,

○      Children’s Amusement.

●      12:00 PM - 3X - Armstrong stage

●      6:00 PM - Middle Run Grass - 16th St. stage

●      7:00 PM Strength Therapy 16th St. stage

●      8:30 PM Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper 16th St. stage

●      10:00 PM festival closes

Saturday, September 27, 2025

●      10:00 AM Festival Opens

○      Food and Specialty Drink Vendors

○      Specialty Vendors

○      Artesian and Crafters

○      Children’s Amusement

●      10:30 AM Southern Fried Conefest (17th St.)

●      11:00 AM Free Children’s Activity Tent (closes at 7 PM)

●      12:00 PM Mason and Taylor Armstrong stage

●      12:30 PM Dino roar children’s area

●      1:00 PM Brady Ross in route 23 - Armstrong stage

●      2:00 PM PLD pageant - Armstrong stage

●      2:30 PM Dino Roar - Children’s area

●      5:00 PM Dino Roar - Children’s area

●      7:00 PM opening ceremony 16th St. stage

●      7:15 PM the Chase 16th St. stage

●      9:00 PM Asia featuring John Payne - 16th St. Stage

Sunday September 28, 2025

●      10:00 AM Southern Fried Conefest (Ramey St.)

●      11:00 AM Festival Opens

○      Food and Specialty Drink Vendors,

○      Specialty Vendors,

○      Artesian and Crafters

○      Children’s Amusement

●      11:00 AM House of Grace - 16th St. Stage

●      1:00 PM Dino Roar - Children’s Area

●      1:00 PM Bended Knee - Armstrong Stage

●      2:00 PM Forgiven - Armstrong Stage

●      3:00 PM Dino roar - Children’s Area

●      3:00 PM Jeanette Blevins - Armstrong stage

●      4:00 PM Wheelhouse - Armstrong stage

●      6:00 PM Festival Closes