Editing Blacksburg, Virginia (section)

==Annual town events==
[[File:Steppin Out 2012.jpg|alt=Steppin Out Festival in Downtown Blacksburg, Virginia 2012|thumb|200x200px|Downtown Blacksburg during Steppin' Out.]]
* The International Street Fair held in downtown Blacksburg and on the Virginia Tech campus takes place in spring. Over 110 countries are represented by the student body of [[Virginia Tech]] and individuals from the community during the [[festival]]. There are food trucks, country booths, and the stage features an eclectic mix of melodies and musical performances from around the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.international.vt.edu/interculturalinitiatives/international_street_fair.html|title=International Street Fair|publisher=Downtownblacksburg.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216011021/http://www.downtownblacksburg.com/events.html|archive-date=February 16, 2012|access-date=January 2, 2013}}</ref>
* Steppin' Out, the town's first annual street festival, has taken place on the first Friday and Saturday of every August since 1976 when it was known as the Deadwood Days Summer Festival.<ref name="timeline">{{cite web|url=http://spec.lib.vt.edu/bicent/timeline/bburtime.htm|title=Blacksburg Bicentennial: Timeline|date=October 26, 1998|website=Blacksburg's Bicentennial, 1798-1998|publisher=Virginia Tech Special Collections|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20180521223713/https://spec.lib.vt.edu/bicent/timeline/bburtime.htm|archive-date=May 21, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=January 2, 2013}}</ref> Because of a murder associated with the final Deadwood Days in August 1979, the festival's name was changed in 1980 and Steppin' Out began in 1981.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Jarboe|first=Michelle|date=August 2, 2005|title=Steppin' out of Deadwood Days|work=Roanoke Times|url=https://roanoke.com/news/steppin-out-of-deadwood-days/article_55788128-ef7b-5ad0-a607-7ec29cb579de.html|access-date=February 5, 2022}}</ref> Steppin' Out features over 150 artists and crafts people from around the United States selling unique handcrafted items, local merchants holding final clearance sidewalk sales, local restaurants selling food through outdoor vending, multiple stages for live performances, and fun for the entire family. The area from North Main Street and Alumni Mall (sometimes even more to the north) to South Main Street and Roanoke Street and Draper Road and Lee Street is designated for the festival. The Draper Mile Run, which was started in 1982, is a one-mile (1.6&nbsp;km) road race for runners of all ages that is held annually during the first evening of the festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blacksburgsteppinout.com/|title=Steppin' Out|publisher=Downtownblacksburg.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818120923/http://www.downtownblacksburg.com/steppinout.html|archive-date=August 18, 2012|access-date=January 2, 2013}}</ref>
* Summer Solstice Fest takes place on the Saturday afternoon/evening closest to the solstice. Downtown Blacksburg Inc. organizes the event, which includes live music, vendors, a dog parade and 5k race.
*Sustainability Week is held in mid-September and is a collaboration between Sustainable Blacksburg, the Town of Blacksburg, and Virginia Tech's Office of Energy & Sustainability. First held in 2007, the tagline, "Celebrate. Educate. Motivate." The events emphasize how to become a more sustainable community.
*The Winter Lights Festival is held the first Friday in December. College Avenue is closed for caroling, vendors, Santa at the Lyric, and the tree lighting on Virginia Tech's Henderson Lawn. The evening ends with the annual Holiday Parade which goes from Virginia Tech's campus to Eheart Street.