When was the last time anyone needed permission to walk down to the Sequatchie at Ketner's Mill? For most of the Marion County families who have fished, waded or launched a float trip below the old brick mill near Whitwell, the answer was never. The property was simply there, and you went.
That changed in 2026. The 48th annual Country Arts Fair wraps up this afternoon. Once the vendor tents come down, the riverbank goes back to everyday use under rules the owners wrote this summer, after a closure few people saw coming.
The Fair Was Never the Part at Risk
When news broke in late May that Ketner's Mill was closing to the public, the fair came through untouched. The owners' statement said the annual Country Arts Fair would continue each year, even as they closed the mill property to public access, effective immediately. WTVC reported that the Ketner's Mill Foundation made the announcement and confirmed that the two-day fair would still take place in the fall.
The fair also has the clearest structure of anything on the property. It runs on a fixed weekend, charges $8 cash per person, and lets children 8 and under in free, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press fall festival guide published Sept. 12. This year's visitor guide lists a searchable directory of 215 vendors and a map that marks the on-site parking areas. The producer's 2026 listing adds live music, food, craft demonstrations, wagon rides and farm animals. It also lists two optional paid extras, old-fashioned children's games and inflatables, with a $15 armband for unlimited jumping.
The fair's own scheduling shows who it serves. Whitwell sits in the Central time zone, but the fair publishes its hours in Eastern time for visitors coming from Chattanooga: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. A ticketed, organized event that people drive to from another time zone is easy to manage under liability rules. The quiet Tuesday visit is much harder, and in 2026 it came close to disappearing.
Three Months Without the Riverbank
The year happened in four dated steps:
- Late May. In a Facebook statement, the owners said they had started getting letters from attorneys representing people pursuing personal injury claims over incidents that allegedly happened during recreational visits. They closed the mill and the surrounding grounds to public access.
- June 1. WTVC asked owner Clint Carroll for comment. Carroll, who told the station he has owned the property for about two years, declined to discuss the decision.
- June 2. Marion County's highway department clarified that Ketner Mill Lane itself had not closed.
- Aug. 28. The property reopened to the public under a new set of rules.
The owners' statement said they had been glad to share the property with visitors free of charge over the years. In their words, "the increasing legal risks, stress, and potential liability associated with public access have made it necessary for us to make this difficult decision." No details about the claims themselves were released.
The online reaction showed what people had lost. One commenter quoted by WTVC wrote that locals had used the site "for 150+ years for fishing, swimming and making float trips." Those three activities are the everyday uses the fair never covered, and they are the ones the closure took away.
The Road Stayed Public the Whole Time
The June clarification answered a question many people had during the closure. Marion County Highway Department Superintendent Cory Pickett said Ketner Mill Lane remained a county-maintained public road, had not been closed, and that the county had no plans to abandon it.
That statement drew a line that matters for every future visit. The lane belongs to the county. The mill, the grounds and the river access belong to private owners. Driving Ketner Mill Lane never depended on the owners' decision, but walking down to the water always has. That is why the owners could close the riverbank in May and reopen it in August without the county taking part in either step.
What the Reopening Actually Says
The August announcement read as a gesture to the community. "We know how much this special place means to our community, and we want people to continue being able to enjoy the property," the mill said.
This time, though, access comes with written terms. As SValleyNow listed them:
- Public access runs from dawn until dusk only.
- Anything you bring in, you carry back out.
- No glass containers.
- Stay off and away from the dam on the Sequatchie River.
The last rule carries the most weight. WTVC's reopening coverage described "a clear warning to stay away from the mill's low-head dam." The other three rules are familiar to anyone who uses a public park. The dam rule is specific to this place, and it sets apart the river access that came back from the river access people used to treat as theirs.
The mill's own website still carries general year-round visitor language that was written before the 2026 closure and reopening. For current access, go by the August rules.
Why the Dam Sits at the Center
The mill's history explains why the river and the dam are bound up with the place. According to the mill, David Ketner arrived in the Sequatchie Valley in 1824 and ran an earlier mill. His son Alexander, known as "Pappy," bought the current site in 1868, and the brick mill was finished by 1882. The building still runs on the river. A Sequatchie River turbine turns millstones that the mill describes as 42 inches across and weighing 3,500 to 4,000 pounds.
The fair grew out of the effort to keep that machinery working. The fair's official history dates the first Country Fair to 1977, after a family restoration effort, and credits Frank W. McDonald with founding it alongside his cousin Clyde Ketner. Clyde, David's grandson, made cornmeal at the mill every day until he died in 1992, and the family still brings the mill into production for the fair.
So the structure that powers the mill's most cherished tradition is also the one spot visitors are now told to avoid. Under the reopening terms, the same stretch of river that makes the place work is a hazard for anyone walking up to it.
Planning a Visit Once the Fair Is Over
After this weekend, the property goes back to everyday use. The fair's demonstrations have long included sorghum-making, wagon and canoe rides, a petting zoo and craft demonstrations, which gives a sense of what fills the grounds for two days each October. For the rest of the year, there are no vendors, no admission gate and no event map.
A few practical points for a fall visit:
- Watch the clock in both directions. Access runs dawn to dusk, and Whitwell runs on Central time even though the fair posts Eastern hours.
- Pack for carry-out. With no glass allowed and a pack-in, pack-out rule, a cooler of cans and a trash bag belong in the trunk.
- Plan the water around the dam. Fishing and float trips are the uses commenters tied to the property's long history, and any of them now means keeping clear of the dam on the Sequatchie.
- Remember the road is the county's. Ketner Mill Lane stays a public road no matter what happens on the property, so if access ever changes again, the drive itself will not.
On the other side of the county, Jasper's own October calendar ends with the Town of Jasper's Jack-O-Lantern Jamboree on Oct. 31 from 4 to 8 p.m. The town has not yet listed a venue.
Ketner's Mill showed this year that property terms can change quietly and then decide how a place gets used. Homes work much the same way. If you own in Jasper or anywhere in Marion County and want to know where your property stands in today's market, South Luxe Homes will walk you through the details with the same care. Request Your Free Home Valuation, and we'll start with what makes your corner of the valley yours.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
