Hazelwood Is Putting Its Whole History on One Giant Map, and You're Invited to Add to It

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  July 2, 2026

Hazelwood is about to lay its entire history out on one enormous map, and locals are the ones filling it in. Hazelwood Proud will present "A Celebration of Community and History: A Map Project Festival" from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at the Folkmoot Community Center in Waynesville. The centerpiece is the largest community-drawn map in Western North Carolina, and the whole day is built around getting families to add to it.

This is happening in the Hazelwood district of Waynesville, the seat of Haywood County, about 30 minutes west of Asheville by way of Interstate 40 and US-23/74. Folkmoot is on Virginia Avenue on the south side of town, a few minutes from the historic Main Street shops and restaurants. Admission is open to the community and the media alike, and the group is planning a full day of music, dance, artistic and wellness demonstrations, and historical presentations.

What actually happens at the Hazelwood map festival?

Think of it as part street fair, part living history project. The map itself is the anchor, but the day fills out around it with performances and hands-on activities meant to keep kids and grandparents equally busy. Music and dance run alongside wellness and art demonstrations, so you can drift from one corner to the next.

The intent, as Hazelwood Proud describes it, is to encourage families to participate in things that build cultural engagement and social connection. That is a plain way of saying they want neighbors talking to neighbors. In a mountain community where a lot of local knowledge lives in people's memories, a project like this captures stories before they slip away.

For details, you can visit hazelwoodproud.org or contact Ken Czarnomski at 828.734.2262 or hazelwoodproud@gmail.com. The event is free, and there is no reason to rush in and out. It is built to be a full day.

Why does the Folkmoot Center matter to this story?

The venue is part of the point. The Folkmoot Community Center occupies the old Hazelwood School building, and it has spent decades as the home base for Folkmoot, the international folk festival that brings dance troupes from around the world to Waynesville every summer. Holding a community history event inside a repurposed schoolhouse gives the whole thing a nice sense of continuity.

Hazelwood itself has a story worth knowing. It was once its own incorporated town before it merged with Waynesville, and it has held onto a distinct identity ever since. The Main Street stretch has quietly become one of the more charming small commercial districts in Haywood County, with local shops, a brewery scene, and the kind of walkability that is genuinely hard to find.

That history is exactly what a community map is good at holding. Streets change names and businesses come and go, but a map drawn by the people who lived it keeps the record honest.

Is Hazelwood a good place to put down roots?

For anyone weighing a move to the mountains, Hazelwood offers something a little different from downtown Waynesville. You get the small-town core and the walkable feel, usually at a slightly softer price point than the more polished blocks closer to the courthouse. It has real character without feeling staged.

The location does a lot of the work. You are close to Waynesville's amenities, a short drive from Maggie Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and only about half an hour from Asheville when you want a bigger city for the day. That balance of quiet and access is what keeps drawing retirees, remote workers, and second-home buyers to this side of Haywood County.

Events like this festival are also a decent read on a place. A neighborhood that turns out to draw its own map together is a neighborhood that actually knows itself. If a Saturday in Hazelwood has you picturing what living in this corner of Western NC might look like, Jon Tharp is always glad to talk it through.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the Hazelwood map festival in Waynesville?

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Folkmoot Community Center in Waynesville, North Carolina. Folkmoot is housed in the former Hazelwood School building on Virginia Avenue, in the Hazelwood district on the south side of town. The day includes music, dance, artistic and wellness demonstrations, historical presentations, and the unveiling of the largest community-drawn map in Western North Carolina. Families are encouraged to attend and take part in the hands-on activities. For details you can visit hazelwoodproud.org or call Ken Czarnomski at 828.734.2262.

What is Hazelwood Proud?

Hazelwood Proud is a community group focused on celebrating and strengthening the Hazelwood neighborhood of Waynesville in Haywood County. The organization works to encourage cultural engagement and social connection among residents, and this map festival is one of its signature efforts. Hazelwood was once its own incorporated town before merging with Waynesville, and it has kept a distinct identity anchored by its walkable Main Street. You can learn more about the group and its projects at hazelwoodproud.org, or reach out by email at hazelwoodproud@gmail.com for information about volunteering or getting involved.

What is the Hazelwood community map project?

The map project is billed as the largest community-drawn map in Western North Carolina. Rather than a standard printed map, it gathers input directly from residents, capturing the places, stories, and history that matter to people who live in and around Hazelwood. The July 11 festival puts that map at the center of a full day of programming, letting families see the finished work and add their own perspective. It reflects a growing interest across WNC in preserving local history and the personal knowledge that longtime residents carry about their own neighborhoods.

How far is Waynesville from Asheville?

Waynesville sits about 30 minutes west of Asheville, roughly 28 miles by way of Interstate 40 to US-23/74. It is the seat of Haywood County and one of the larger towns on the western side of the Blue Ridge, which makes it an easy day trip for anyone in the Asheville area. The Hazelwood district is on the south end of Waynesville, a few minutes from the historic downtown Main Street. That proximity to Asheville, combined with a quieter small-town feel, is a big part of why Haywood County continues to draw both visitors and new residents.