BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Every summer, a sliver of eastern Kentucky becomes a canvas. This year, on Saturday, Aug. 2, the Appalachian Artist Festival (AFF) will return to downtown Inez for its third annual run. This year, however, instead of operating under the City of Inez banner as it did in its first two years, the AAF will fall under the Martin County Tourism Commission.
Festival founder Jennifer Wells proposed the idea of the Tourism Commission adopting the festival during the commission’s March 17 meeting. She received instant and unanimous approval.
“I think it’s just going to get bigger,” Tourism Commission chairman Collier said, noting that KET reached out to Wells about the festival last year.
Founded in 2023, the Appalachian Artist Festival has quickly become a signature event, drawing musicians, painters, storytellers, quilters—and curious crowds—to the courthouse square.
“In a time when our county makes headlines for all the wrong reasons—poverty, politics, the drinking water crisis, the environment—the Appalachian Artist Festival offers a different narrative,” Wells said in an interview. “This is resilience, expression, and beauty.”
For Wells, however, this is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake.
“This is the living culture of a region,” she said. “Think music, brushstrokes and the crackle of a story passed from one voice to the next.”
The 2025 edition of AAF promises to be its most ambitious yet with a musical lineup that feels equal parts homecoming and revival.
Annalyse & Ryan, a folk-Americana duo from Beacon, New York, will headline the festival. But for Annalyse McCoy, it’s more than just a booking. It’s a return. Born and raised in Inez, McCoy hasn’t performed in her hometown in more than two decades. Her presence on the main stage marks a full-circle moment for both the artist and the audience.
Also on the bill: Cody Lee Meece & The Poor Excuses, John Thomas Moore, Cody McCoy, Nathan Coots, and Adalyn Ramey — a blend of local and regional voices whose styles echo the eclecticism of the hills themselves.
Beyond the music, what sets the Appalachian Artist Festival apart from the average small-town music fest is its commitment to full-spectrum Appalachian artistry. This year’s new features include a Songwriters’ Round — an intimate stage where performers share original songs and the stories behind them — and open mic sessions for poetry, storytelling, and spoken word.
A vendor market that features artists and crafters will anchor the festival’s emphasis on art.
Live craft demonstrations lean in to heritage. Expect to see wood sculpting in action alongside a working moonshine still. Inside the historic Martin County Courthouse, a hand-stitched quilt exhibit will transform the courtroom into a kaleidoscope of color and memory.
And then there’s “Maw & Paw’s Knick-Knacks,” a throwback display of household items from Appalachian days gone by — curated to educate (and charm) the uninitiated.
Attendees can test their reflexes in a game of hot potato or join a cakewalk in pursuit of sweet victory. And in a nod to local pride, the “Meet the Cardinals” event gives visitors a chance to mingle with the Martin County High School football team.
Wells hopes to expand the festival to include Friday night — if funding aligns. If it does, expect a deeper dive into the region’s creative pool.