Antiques, art return to downtown Clinton
Festival begins Friday at noon
The recently renovated Market Street with its new sidewalks, planters, benches and pavement will be the site of the 2026 Clinch River Fall Antique Festival this weekend in Historic Downtown Clinton. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Showcasing the recent $5.9 million in downtown renovations, the festival takes over Market Street, and celebrates Clinton’s nationally renowned antiques district.
During its run, it will host vendors, artists, performers, a classic-car show, and lots more.
Activities begin at noon on Friday and run until 7 p.m., then continue at 9 a.m. on Saturday, concluding at 5 p.m.
Most of the main events and features are set for Saturday, but vendors and the downtown stores will be open and ready for visitors on Friday.
In a tribute to Tennessee country music icon Dolly Parton, who died last month, the festival will feature a concert of her songs, performed by the local group WestWend,
The concert will be held on Market Street from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, said Katherine Birkbeck, executive director of the Historic Downtown Clinton organization.
“WestWend presents ‘Coat of Many Colors: A Tribue to Dolly Parton’ at The Clinch River Antique Festival … presented by Enrichment Federal Credit Union,” the organization said on its Facebook page.
WestWend consists of Clinton city Councilwoman Wendy Maness, her husband Jonathan, David Whitaker, David Becher, and, for this concert, steel-guitar player Ronnie Chauvin, who has performed extensively at Dollywood, Wendy Maness said.
A Dolly Parton look-alike contest will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The contest is open to adults, children and animals, according to Historic Downtown Clinton, and there will be a trophy awarded for each category.
People may sign up for the contest by 12:30 p.m. that day at the Historic Downtown Clinton organization’s tent.
Saturday events will include artists set up mostly along Main Street. The artists, most from out of state, will be set up on Main Street on Saturday, Birkbeck said. They will be from California, Illinois, South Carolina, Kentucky, Florida and more.
Also on Saturday, there will be horse-drawn carriage rides available down Eagle Bend Road, pulled by Clydesdales.
“Climb aboard a horse-drawn carriage and enjoy Historic Downtown Clinton at a slower pace,” a Facebook post says. “Your ride with the Finley Farms Clydesdales offers a relaxed way to take in the residential side of our historic and serene area.
“Every ticket supports The Pearl Foundation’s work to preserve and revitalize downtown — from cultural events to hands-on preservation projects. Reserve your carriage ride, invite a friend, and help keep our downtown story alive.”
Theme of the festival will be “Frontier Jubilee.”
“This will be the first antique festival after completion of the downtown construction,” Birkbeck said. “It’s very exciting.”
Market Street reopened in August after being closed to vehicular traffic for about 15 months while a $5.9 million downtown improvement project was underway, including new sidewalks and upgraded utilities.
Antique and food vendors will line Market Street on both days, and the street will be open to pedestrians only.
Country music dance lessons will be offered by Russell Walker & the Honky Tonks from Knoxville.
There also will be a special “tailgate” party on Market Street on beginning at 5 p.m. Friday for people going to the Clinton High School football game, Birkbeck said.
