By Charles Owens
For Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Bluefield — The countdown to the start of the 2026 Cole Chevy Mountain Festival is now underway.
Crews with the James H. Drew Carnival will be setting up their massive display at city park in Bluefield this week in advance of Friday’s opening of the 10-day festival, which is now in its 42nd year.
Residents attending this year’s festival can expect to see returning favorites such as Rock-it the Robot and the Wheels of Death as well as new attractions like the Freedom 250 Truck, which will be on display this Friday, as well as Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31.
“We are so excited about this year’s Mountain Festival,” Jeff Disibbio, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce of the two Virginias, said. “We have more vendors than we’ve ever had with more variety than we’ve ever had in our midway. But we are absolutely thrilled to be able to bring the Freedom 250 truck for the first weekend. It is a huge honor to be able to have this come to Bluefield.”
Rock-it the Robot, a mainstay at the festival, will be returning, and two popular new attractions will be back this year as well. They are the Stone Age Dinosaur Show and the Wheels of Death motorcycle show. Those attractions will be available each day throughout the festival at different times.
Rock-it the Robot is a nine foot tall robot with a built in sound system for speech and music. He has an animated face with moving eyes, brows and mouth and can be seen walking throughout the midway area of the festival each day.
The Wheels of Death exhibit features motorcycle performers on a massive spinning wheel. The Stone Age Dinosaur Show features lifelike creatures, facts about dinosaurs and cavemen performers showcasing acrobatics and juggling, according to the Cole Chevy Mountain Festival website.
Disibbio said Little Roy and Lizzie also will be returning with performances scheduled for Sunday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Another new attraction this year will be the Foam Fun Zone, which will be available each day throughout the festival at different times.
“That’s new,” Disibbio said. “It’s a foam party. It will be something that we haven’t had before. It should be a great time for the kids to be able to jump in and enjoy.”
A Mountain Festival Dance hosted by the Bluefield Shag Society also will be held on Saturday, June 6 from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Professional wrestling will be held on Friday, June 5, at 6 p.m. Furthermore various musical performances also will be held each evening from 7 to 8 p.m.
The Mountain Festival will open this Friday with the massive Freedom 250 exhibit and conclude on Sunday, June 7, with fireworks at 10:30 p.m. The Freedom 250 Truck is an interactive traveling museum that celebrates America’s 250th anniversary. The mobile museum’s arrival in Bluefield is part of the ongoing Freedom 250 campaign by the Trump administration, which celebrates the story of America’s founding. That story began 250 years ago with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
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