Down the Road | 2019

BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIME MUSIC

DOWN ROAD DOWN ROADthe the

FLETCHER’S FEED & SEED

FLETCHER’S FEED & SEED

CALEB SMITH:

ACCOMPLISHED MUSICIAN, ACCLAIMED LUTHIER

CALEB SMITH: ACCOMPLISHED MUSICIAN, ACCLAIMED LUTHIER

UNSPOKEN TRADITION

UNSPOKEN TRADITION

Old-Time Values, Progressive Attitude

Old-Time Values, Progressive Attitude

CONTENTS

With a #1 and #3 hit on the bluegrass charts coming into 2019, Western North Carolina group Unspoken Tradition is on the verge of becoming a marquee act in the world of string music.

BLUE RIDGE MUSIC TRAILS OF NORTH CAROLINA

Traditional music is flourishing across many parts of America, but in the mountains and foothills of North Carolina, more so than elsewhere, the music is part of the fabric of community life.

Music traditions continue to be handed down in families and communities; at the same time, musicians are moving here from other parts of the country to be at the heart of these wonderful traditions.

You’ll find lots of folks making music — from seasoned, master musicians and enormously talented youngsters to exuberant beginners and dedicated back porch pickers.

Most importantly, the music here is to be shared. Opportunities to listen in and to join in are plentiful.

THE PROJECT

The Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina is an initiative led by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the North Carolina Department Natural and Cultural Resources. Many, many partners across Western North Carolina — arts councils, tourism agencies, music venues, event organizers, musicians, and dancers — are participating in the effort.

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area’s “Down the Road” magazine is produced in collaboration with The Smoky Mountain News. © 2019

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

PUBLISHER · Scott McLeod info@smokymountainnews.com

GENERAL MANAGER · Greg Boothroyd greg@smokymountainnews.com

ADVERTISING · Hylah Birenbaum hylah@smokymountainnews.com

ART DIRECTOR · Micah McClure micah@smokymountainnews.com

WELCOME WELCOME

IN NORTH CAROLINA , the roots of American music run deep.

From bluegrass to the blues, from gospel to funk, from beach music to hip hop, North Carolina artists like John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Doc Watson, Etta Baker, Shirley Caesar, George Clinton and James Taylor have shaped the legacy of music in North Carolina and across the country. That’s why we’re proud to celebrate 2019 as the Year of Music.

In North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, music is a part of life passed down from one generation to the next. We cherish those traditions through our Blue Ridge Music Trails, which attract visitors from across the country and around the world to the more than 160 music venues in Western North Carolina.

During the Year of Music, we encourage you to explore Blue Ridge Music Trails. We’re grateful to the dedicated musicians, venues and music lovers for supporting the arts and we look forward to sharing North Carolina’s rich culture and history with you.

Roy and Kristin Cooper

FROM THE DIRECTOR FROM THE DIRECTOR

The Blue Ridge Mountains continue to be a fertile ground for European, African American and Cherokee sounds that have met and mingled for hundreds of years. In these mountain coves, among these rolling foothills of Western North Carolina, come the sounds of fiddle, banjo, guitar, and mandolin — homegrown sounds that have shaped American music.

towns. In our mountains, ballads have been passed down from generation to generation, “knee-to-

The Blue Ridge Music Trails invite people to return to the source to hear and enjoy these living traditions, in 29 counties of Western North Carolina, from Brasstown to Mount Airy, from Shelby to Sparta and scenic places in between.

Traditional mountain music features the old-time sounds of string bands and the high energy of bluegrass. Cloggers kick up their heels on mountain stages. You can follow the callers of street dances in our historic small

knee” on front porches with haunting verses that date back centuries to Ireland and Scotland. And across the region, you can hear sacred music from shaped note singing to hymns sung in Cherokee to African-American gospel.

Music traditions continue to be handed down in families and communities; at the same time, musicians are moving here from other parts of the country to be at

the heart of these wonderful traditions. You’ll find lots of folks making music — from seasoned, master musicians and enormously talented youngsters to exuberant beginners and dedicated back porch pickers.

The Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina was launched more than five years ago as a partnership between Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership (BRNHA) and the NC Arts Council. Our goal is to guide visitors and fans to where they can hear this music for themselves. We have awarded more than 50 grants to create stages, sound systems, new venues as well as supported school programs to pass on traditional music to the next generation.

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership is devoted to preserving our Appalachian culture, from traditional music to arts and crafts, our foodways and our abundant outdoors, and we honor the living legacy of Cherokee traditions across our mountains.

Please join us on this musical journey “Down the Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails,” and we hope to see you along the way.

Angie Chandler

Executive Director

Blue Ridge National Heritage Area

Angie Chandler

FROM COVER TO STAGE

Now nine years old, fiddler Lake Carver was the cover subject of last year’s Down the Road magazine. Once the publication hit the streets, we received numerous messages about how much people loved the image of her and her fiddle.

And, it seems, Lake herself also has garnered a lot of attention in musical circles around Western North Carolina as a result of it. Hailing from Wilkes County, the third-grader plays guitar, too.

“I was amazed and shocked at the same time. I had no idea I would be on a magazine,” Carver said. “People have asked me to play shows for them to support the magazine. Also, when I got to play on stage with Jens Kruger (of The Kruger

Brothers) at the Carolina in the Fall festival, he asked me about it in front of everybody — it was really cool.”

DOWNROAD DOWNROAD

Carver started playing fiddle when she was four years old.

“My parents wanted me to play an instrument and it was the smallest one that I could hold,” Carver said. “I like that it’s different than most of the other instruments. It has a different sound. There’s not just one way and style to play it. There are all different ways to play it.”

As of now, Carver and her brother, Brant, have started a band called Wyld Fern. Brant plays guitar, with Owen Combs on standup bass and Ettore Buzinni on banjo. The quartet will be performing at the Shakori Hills Festival and Houston Fest, and also through a Merlefest outreach program at a handful of local schools in Wilkes County.

“I would like to say thank you to Down the Road for having me on the cover,” Lake said. “Everyone has been so nice.”

Lake Carver

RIVERS THAT I’VE CROSSED UNSPOKEN TRADITION RIVERS THAT I’VE CROSSED UNSPOKEN TRADITION

In the corner of a restaurant in downtown Hendersonville one recent Saturday afternoon, the members of Unspoken Tradition huddle together.

As the hustle and bustle of the busy curvilinear Main Street flows by the big glass windows, the string quintet gathered in the Henderson County establishment to talk business over the group’s upcoming album release and tour dates.

“We’ve been around about five years, but it’s been a loosely compiled group of pickers for about 10 years. I pulled the name Unspoken Tradition out of thin air,” said singer/guitarist Audie McGinnis, the de facto leader of the band. “But, I do think, subconsciously, what has been in there all along, is that we have certain things — values, routines and traditions — that we hold sacred. Like a father teaching their son how to carve a turkey on Thanksgiving, things you do and you come to love and to appreciate, even if it wasn’t a front of the mind thing at the time.”

From seemingly every corner of Western North Carolina, McGinnis and his brother/bandmate Zane (banjo) hail from Cherryville, while Tim Gardner (fiddle) calls Brevard home, as Ty Gilpin (mandolin) and Sav Sankaran (standup bass) make their respective homes in Asheville.

Each member is well-vested in the traditions of bluegrass and heritage music, each bringing a different and unique skillset to the table of the band’s musical intent.

“We were steeped in it at a young age. I feel like this area — the foothills, the mountains — holds onto past generations’ traditions,” Zane said. “I love it because it’s real. Bluegrass is authentic — there’s no smoke and mirrors.”

“We’re all just ‘trying to get back home,’ you know?” Gilpin added. “There’s an energy there, and yet combine that energy with something that’s expressive about where we’re from and who we are as people — it’s kind of a perfect combination.”

Coming into this year with two Bluegrass Today charting singles under its belt (the #1 “Dark Side of the Mountain” and #3 “Land”), Unspoken Tradition will launch a southeast tour with the release this spring of the band’s highlyanticipated sophomore album, “Myths We Tell Our Young.” Watching and listening to Unspoken Tradition, one is witnessing first-hand the beloved and sacred techniques and styles of bluegrass and heritage of several generations radiating from the stage.

“The more I’ve thought about it, there’s bluegrass and traditional heritage music, because it is passed down

stylistically — parents to children, with regional aspects to it. And I think that each sort of vein of artists and players learn from each other, and learn from each other stylistically, in an unspoken way,” Gilpin said. “The kinds of topics you end up writing about, singing about, all of that informs top-downthrough tradition. Making it your own is part of the progressive process, but the basis of it comes from those unspoken canons.”

“That’s the part that’s hardest part to teach — the unspoken aspects. The timing and the little nuances,” Gardner added. “Somebody comes to you and

water, in the culture,” Audie said. “And it just feels real. I’ve played other types of music. My first guitar was not an acoustic. I’m well-versed in rock-n-roll. But, at the end of the day, I value the stripped-down simplicity and realness of heritage music from this area, the hidden intricacies and complexities of it.”

“If you look at any indigenous form of music or any popular rising form of music, wherever it comes from, the well-spring from which it emerges still remains intact. And there’s always water around that well,” Gilpin noted. “Whether it’s Detroit, New Jersey, Ireland or Western North Carolina, some-

“I love it because it’s real. Bluegrass is authentic — there’s no smoke and mirrors.”

— ZANE MCGINNIS

they don’t know anything about this tradition, they never grew up into it or came to it later in life. And it can be hard to break that down, so that’s when I give people a listening list and go from there. This music makes me part of something bigger than myself, being part of a community — it helps me grow with other people.”

So, why is it that Western North Carolina is such a hotbed for great string and acoustic music?

“You’ve got to keep in mind that Zane and I grew up near Shelby, the home of Earl Scruggs — there’s something in the

body there tapped that musical well. And for Shelby it was Earl Scruggs. It springs out of a specific culture, one where people are musically inclined — whether it be genetically or culturally, it all adds up.”

Just before they head out the door of the Hendersonville restaurant and back into the impending day, the bandmates take a moment to reflect on why it is so important to not only keep this music alive, but also keep it flourishing and progressing forward in the 21st century.

“Bluegrass and roots music has survived because it’s participatory,” Gilpin said. “It’s not just an ‘us and them.’ It’s not people up onstage playing to people — it’s a jam, it’s a community. So, if you lose this kind of music, you lose the community that it’s created.”

“Just like the people who came before us, who passed those traditions, heritage, knowhow and realness of it to us, we get to carry the torch for a while. And maybe one day the next generation will do it, too,” Audie added. “It’s a sense of self and sense of place. It would be like an animal going extinct. Not only would you miss that animal, but it’s disappearance affects the ecosystem. If you removed good ole heritage music from here, you’d lose the identity of this place — you just have to do what you can to keep it alive.”

One of the weekly contra/square dances in the Community Room at the John C. Campbell Folk School.

JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL

Preserving the past, crafting the future

Situated along the Brasstown Creek, and near a bridge that separates Clay and Cherokee counties, is the John C. Campbell Folk School.

Since 1925, the 366-acre property has remained a beehive of creativity, a pillar of Southern Appalachian heritage where folks from across the country and around the world travel there to learn from legendary craft, dance and music instructors.

“Our success and longevity is

partly because of the long-standing commitment of the local folks who have grown up dancing and singing at the Folk School. Our community is strongly invested in the success of our programs and are very active participants in the legacy of music and dance [here],” said Ted Cooley, music and dance coordinator at the Folk School.

“[We’ve] long been well-situated as a tradition bearer within the greater folk music community. That stability of the Folk School’s

music and dance programs helps strengthen the greater community of programs both regionally and nationally — [it’s] fascinating how interconnected these communities and programs are.”

Between weekly musical performances and contra/square dances in the picturesque Community Room of the 90-year-old Keith House and a summer concert series, the Folk School is a beacon of melodic joy in a very rural area where dirt roads outnumber

paved ones and your food comes from the farm fields just over the mountain ridge.

“We want to continue the legacy of supporting traditional folk music. Currently, we have five thriving community-supported dance teams, which includes Appalachian Clogging and British Morris Dancing,” Cooley said. “We also offer a diverse spectrum of classes on many different folk instruments and traditional dance styles. My mission is to support our current programs and to continue to bring in new talents and tradition bearers. Music and dance connects us to not only the heritage of the past, but helps us feel connected to one another.”

The Folk School is not only something of historical and cultural significance, it also greatly enhances the presence and perpetuation of these Appalachian traditions into the 21st century digital age. It’s about knowing where you came from, being proud of that fact, and carrying the torch of those who came before you.

“We’re connecting students and com-

JOIN THE FUN:

If you are interested in dancing, the John C. Campbell Folk School offers Contra and Square Dancing most Tuesday nights of the year from 7 to 8 pm in the Community Room of the Keith House on the JCCFS campus. Dances feature live music and a dance caller, are open to the public and are especially friendly for beginners. Free admission. For more information go to blueridgemusictrailsnc.com

munity members to our cultural heritage and keeping traditions alive — that’s so vital to our mission at the Folk School. A friend once said to me that, ‘If [the Folk School was] not here, then where else could it be?’ There are not a lot places like the Folk School in the world. Culturally and socially, we provide a place for people to meet and enjoy participating in the arts,” Cooley said. “[In] our community dances, we

have a strong percentage of dancers who are in their teens to early 20s who are regulars. I love that we have attracted a diverse and multigenerational group of dancers. This means that when I am 80, I’ll still have people to dance with.”

With the hundreds of performers and thousands of audience members who have found themselves at the John C. Campbell Folk School throughout the decades, each headed back into the world with a kick in their step and a song in their heart, radiating the beauty of traditional music and dancing for all within earshot.

“The performers and teachers who come to the Folk School are really here because they’re passionate about what they do. I see my job as making connections and providing excellent performers and teachers for our students and community,” Cooley said. “I know that all of us here at the Folk School love what we provide to our locals and greater student body — it’s a privilege to offer a wide spectrum of music and dance opportunities.”

Whether it’s the summer concert series, a dance or an indoor performance, the folk school prides itself on perpetuating mountain traditions. DONATED PHOTOS

Summer Brooke and her Jackson County-based band Mountain Faith are regulars at Mountain Heritage Day.

WCU PHOTO

GO TELL IT FROM THE MOUNTAIN

WCU’s Mountain Heritage Day celebrates 45 years

Every fall, the campus of Western Carolina University comes alive during Mountain Heritage Day.

Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Cullowhee community and greater Jackson County, the gathering of music, dance, art and craft — now in its 45th year — has become a cornerstone celebration of Appalachian culture and history.

“Mountain Heritage Day shows Western Carolina University’s commitment to the region,” said Geoff Cantrell. “The festival reflects the university’s supportive relationship, introduces students to ways of another time and brings a broad audience in to see the progress and traditions of campus.”

A spokesperson for WCU, Cantrell has been deeply involved in MHD,

CELEBRATE:

The 45th annual Mountain Heritage Day — a combination oldfashioned mountain fair and showcase for Southern Appalachian music, arts, dance and song — will be held September 28, 2019, in Cullowhee. mountainheritageday.com.

witnessing first-hand the importance of the annual event. Attending the first MHD in 1974, Cantrell remembered “that event as pivotal in my burgeoning appreciation of home.”

“The festival has become renowned as a showcase of bluegrass and old-time mountain music, the region’s finest arts and

crafts, Cherokee traditions, and kids’ programs and activities, and we want to build on that reputation,” Cantrell said.

One of the ways MHD encourages youth participation is through the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program. The festival hosts a talent contest, where students who learn and play in the old-time style of traditional music get to perform on one of three stages, and also in the jamming tents.

“Because the intent of Mountain Heritage Day is passing along those traditions, finding successive generations of talent to represent those things is a welcome and important challenge for organizers,” Cantrell said.

With attendance hovering around 15,000, the festival — called “an open textbook of Appalachian folk

“The festival has become renowned as a showcase of bluegrass and old-time mountain music, the region’s finest arts and crafts, Cherokee traditions, and kids’ programs and activities, and we want to build on that reputation.”

— GEOFF CANTRELL

life” by Southern Living magazine — attracts locals and tourist alike, where a common bond and love of Appalachian heritage is shared and enjoyed.

“Community — that’s it. There’s a community presence in everything about Mountain Heritage Day and that’s our staying power,” Cantrell noted. “From campus involvement, local civic groups, business support, volunteers and everything else, the festival is created for and by the community.”

Celebrating the rich variety of Western North Carolina’s culture, MHD showcases world-class musicians and dancers, all alongside intricate artisans and live craft demonstrations.

“It’s a diverse community that has melded and incorporated many different influences over the generations into who we are and what we do, whether it’s work or play or whatever you name, that makes up a living society and culture of a place,” Cantrell said. “Mountain Heritage Day draws together Cherokee, African-American, ScotsIrish and other influences in the region that shaped our past and present. [It’s about] handing down and carrying on traditions, building an awareness of the many things that came together and come together to make the mountains of Western North Carolina special.”

Closing in on 45 years in operation, Cantrell can’t help but reflect on five decades of MHD and what it means to WCU, Jackson County and Appalachian heritage as a whole.

“I always take a moment during [that] day to get a good vantage point and just look around. And I see people greeting one another with handshakes and hugs, and folks who don’t know one another talking about music and crafts, and kids tugging parents in different directions,” Cantrell said. “Mountain Heritage Day is a time and space to share, learn and enjoy. To me, it’s equal measures a big family reunion, a harvest festival, an arts and crafts showcase, the county fair and a musical jamboree harvest. I think it’s significant that Western Carolina University takes a single day out of every year to celebrate and pay homage to the people and the place and the past — there would be a void if it didn’t happen.”

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OPEN DOORS, OPEN ARMS

In the small mountain town of Fletcher, situated at the intersection of Hendersonville Road and Fanning Bridge Road, sits the Feed & Seed.

Built in 1919, the historic 100year-old brick building is silent and unassuming. You might not even notice it while headed north to Asheville or south to Hendersonville. But, each weekend, the structure opens its door for two things, and two things only — worship and bluegrass.

“They call it the ‘Little Ryman in

the Blue Ridge,’” said Feed & Seed Pastor Phillip Trees.

A nondenominational place of worship, Trees and his congregation were looking for a new location to call home 10 years ago. They soon came across the old general store. Having not been used in several years, it was a mess inside, though the bones of the building were strong and sturdy.

“So, we contacted the owner. He was in his late 80s and a World War II veteran. His wife was the original

family, her father had built it and ran the store, which was the Fletcher Supply Company & Mercantile Store,” Trees said. “We told him, ‘Can we caretake it, clean it up and pay rent?’ He had it for sale. He met me down there the next morning. And with our deposit, he took it off the market.”

While the congregation was repairing and refreshing the building, Trees, a musician in his own right, began to notice the performance potential of the space.

“We soon realized the

The lore of Fletcher’s Feed & Seed

Performers take the stage at the Feed & Seed in Fletcher. DONATED PHOTOS

acoustics were amazing — high ceilings, hardwood floors, hammered tin ceilings, plaster walls and wooden cabinets on the sides,” Trees said. “So, it’s basically a 3,000-squarefoot recording studio. We’ve had Nashville recording engineers in here saying how amazing the acoustics are. I mean, what kind of music would work in a hundred-yearold general store in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Fletcher but bluegrass?”

With a Sunday service now in motion, Trees didn’t want the Feed & Seed to remain empty the rest of the week.

“Instead of being open just one hour on Sunday, why not keep it open more during the week?” Trees said. “As a church, we wanted to do something for the community. This building has been here a lot longer than we have. And we wanted to open up the building and have people from the community come in while we feature great bands.”

Over the last decade, the Feed & Seed has played host to hundreds of local, regional and national touring acts, including legends of the genre like Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers and Ralph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain Boys. Though the big-name shows are ticketed events, the vast majority of performances are by donation only.

“It’s about being humble — we’re not prideful, nor are we stuck on ourselves,” Trees said. “It’s about the band and the audience, where we just open the doors and let the people in.”

Now a must-see destination for bluegrass and mountain music lovers, Trees is continually taken back by the success and lore of what he and his congregation have created, this venue of sound and camaraderie right in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“We’re shocked as the next person. We definitely didn’t plan it,” Trees marveled. “It’s just an amazing story — how many bands we’ve reached, how much our church and this community has grown.”

Immerse yourself in the history of the traditional music, song, and dance of Western North Carolina by purchasing your copy of The Blue Ridge Music Trails Guidebook

The history of the mountains and foothills is rich with music and the Guidebook brings the stories of the people, traditions, and music to life.

Enjoy historical references, insights and tips for traveling to WNC’s mountain communities, stories of current and upand-coming artists, and a retrospective CD with 22 tracks representing all the music styles of the Blue Ridge Music Trails. The CD is also available as a standalone purchase. You can also share your Music Trails pride with a variety of t-shirts available in the online store.

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA DISTINCTIONS IN TRADITIONAL MUSIC

NO OTHER PLACE HAS had more influence on the development of the banjo in America. Musicians from the western Piedmont and mountain region, including Earl Scruggs, Charlie Poole, and Snuffy Jenkins, among many, are recognized as the creators and popularizers of modern banjo styles.

THE FIDDLE AND BANJO ENSEMBLE tradition that developed in Surry County’s Round Peak community is embraced and emulated by young musicians around the world. The Mount Airy Fiddlers’ Convention is now an annual gathering place for thousands of young musicians influenced by Round Peak musicians.

TRADITIONAL DANCE EVOLVED over generations with music traditions and flat-footing. Clogging in Western North Carolina is recognized as one of the most highly-developed vernacular dance traditions in the country. Haywood County is where team square dancing first originated in the 1930s.

ONE OF THE LONGEST, unbroken ballad singing traditions in America is found in Madison County where singers were first documented by English folk song collector Cecil Sharp prior to World War I. The current generation of singers continues to perform a wide range of ballads, including some brought from the British Isles by early settlers.

THE MOUNTAIN DANCE AND FOLK FESTIVAL, started in Asheville by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1928, is the oldest continuous folk festival in the United States and is the model for the National Folk Festival.

MERLEFEST, presented at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro on the last weekend in April, is one of the nation’s largest and most influential “Americana” music events. It was founded in 1988 by Doc Watson in memory of his son Merle.

KEEP IN MIND

As you begin your journey, keep in mind that even though all the events listed occur on a regular basis, it is always best to verify the information before heading out. For the most up-to-date information on venues and events, please visit BlueRidgeMusicNC.com. Happy Trails!

WPAQ AM 740 IN MOUNT AIRY is the oldest live radio show that continues to program regional music from the Blue Ridge. The Merry Go Round program, which is broadcast live from the Downtown Cinema Theatre every Saturday, first signed on in 1948 and presents local old-time, bluegrass and gospel performers.

ALONG THE MUSIC TRAILS

The Blue Ridge Music Trails are set in the majestic landscape of the North Carolina mountains and foothills, where you will find an abundance of great experiences:

· Scenic drives with mountain views

· Historic small towns

· Invigorating hikes and nature walks

· Hidden waterfalls

· Handmade crafts

· Bustling farmers’ markets

· Pit-cooked barbeque

· Local beers and wines

As you travel the Music Trails, you’ll also encounter a variety of music styles, including:

· The lonesome strains of old-time fiddling

· The fiery rhythms of bluegrass music

· The stately charm of blues guitar, Piedmont style

· The unadorned power of shaped-note singing

· The quiet intensity of age-old ballads

THE MUSICAL BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY

Bluegrass, traditional music thrives in rural towns

On Thursday evenings at Zuma Coffee in downtown Marshall (Madison County), some of the finest bluegrass and traditional musicians descend on the small mountain community (population: 872) for a night of pickin’-n-grinnin’.

“You can barely get in the door, so get there early,” noted Laura

Boosinger. “You get a wide-range of musicians, from great local players to young players, seasoned players to masters — you just never know who’s going to show up.”

As the executive director of the Madison County Arts Council, Boosinger is also a beloved traditional musician in her own right,

performing all around Western North Carolina. She also hosts an acclaimed podcast, “Down the Road,” for the Blue Ridge Music Trails.

“I came to Western North Carolina when I was 18 to go to school at Warren Wilson College,” Boosinger reminisced. “I came here not

Young performers taking part in the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program.

knowing anything about this music either. My first semester we had a square dance with cloggers and traditional musicians. I said, ‘What is this? It’s wonderful.’”

That initial interaction has led to a lifelong passion and career for Boosinger. And the same can be said for countless folks who bear witness to

the beauty and lore of bluegrass and traditional music — once it gets in your blood, there’s no turning back.

“This isn’t new that people have been moving here for the music. This has been going on for a while,” Boosinger said. “Heck, [the late] Pete Seeger came here in the 1940s and went to the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival.

That was the first time he saw a banjo and that’s where he got a banjo from Bascom Lamar Lunsford.”

The county plays host to several key events throughout the year, including the “Fiddlers of Madison County” (March in Mars Hill) and Bluff Mountain Festival (June in Hot Springs).

“You have to remember that we’re

Zuma Coffee in downtown Marshall attracts a variety of musicians for its Thursday night jam sessions. DONATED PHOTOS

probably one of the oldest ballad singing tradition communities in the world,” Boosinger said. “And we know that because Cecil Sharp (founding father of the 20th century folk-song revival) came here in 1916 and he didn’t believe there were any of these English ballads surviving, and here they were. A lot of these communities are isolated, there are a lot of surviving fiddle and banjo traditions, too.”

Madison County is also home to Grammy-winner and N.C. Heritage Award recipient Bobby Hicks, an iconic 85year-old fiddler who was part of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. Hicks and Southern Appalachian fiddle guru Arvil Freeman (also an N.C. Heritage Award winner who lives just down the road in Weaverville) will often find themselves at Zuma Coffee on Thursdays.

“Our people get together in the community in the very beginning of these kids’ lives. They’re learning the music the way it should be learned, which is shared in an open and welcoming group of all age levels.”

— LAURA BOOSINGER

It’s all in an effort to keep the sounds of bluegrass and traditional music alive in the hills of Western North Carolina, something proven in the popular Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program, whose Madison County branch is a thriving entity. With around 60 elementary and middle school kids involved annually, JAM find itself at the center of what it means to be part of a musical heritage that stretches back centuries.

“What’s really happening is that we have traditional musicians — performers and non-performers — who are really competent and passing it on to our kids,” Boosinger said. “Our people get together in the community in the very beginning of these kids’ lives. They’re learning the music the way it should be learned, which is shared in an open and welcoming group of all age levels.”

But, for Boosinger, her deep and sincere love for this music — its storied past and bright future — it really all comes down to that first square dance she was part of, and how it, quite literally, set the stage for her pursuit of keeping the flame lit in the 21st century.

“People always worry that the music is dying. But, there’s so many young people coming along, who’ve learned in their communities or had teachers or came out of JAM,” Boosinger said. “At my first square dance, everybody was super encouraging and inviting. It’s family. It’s community. It’s home. They want everybody to participate. Folks in the community that wanted you to get your instruments out and play with them — they never told you not to.”

THE YEAR OF MUSIC

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed 2019 The Year of Music to recognize North Carolina’s influence on America’s most important musical genres and to celebrate, support and sustain the state’s strong music heritage.

“From bluegrass to the blues, from gospel to funk, from beach music to

Music to create greater visibility for the music and the musicians of the state and for the unique people that are important to understanding, preserving and promoting the state’s music story.

As part of the celebration Oxford American has focused its annual Southern music issue on North Carolina.

Throughout 2019, DNCR will celebrate all aspects of the state’s music industry from the composers, the musicians, the venues, listeners, and the communities that nurture and preserve our richest music traditions.

THE YEAR-LONG CELEBRATION FEATURES:

• Daily posts of North Carolina multimedia music stories at ComeHearNC.com.

• Exclusive monthly live streams of performances.

• Commissioned North Carolina artist pairings.

• Curated “Tiny” concert films.

• North Carolina musician stages at MerleFest, Wide Open Bluegrass, Hopscotch, NC Folk Festival, and other festivals around the state.

• Educational programming and performances.

indie and hip hop, North Carolina is the birthplace of many musical styles and iconic performers,” said Gov. Cooper. “The Year of Music celebration not only recognizes North Carolina musicians that are now cultural icons but the nearly 25,000 North Carolinians who work in music occupations.”

The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) in partnership with the North Carolina Arts Council have developed The Year of

“Music is universal in North Carolina, regardless of where you live in the state,” said Susi H. Hamilton, secretary for the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. “North Carolinians are the heroes of many musical genres in America, reflecting our rich cultural heritage, our innovative spirit and the collaborative nature of our musical communities.”

“Musicians from North Carolina, both past and present, have made brilliant, often groundbreaking, contributions to many of America’s most

important musical genres,” said Wayne Martin, executive director of the North Carolina Arts Council. “It is now time to embrace our music for its key role in the creative economy and for its importance in shaping the cultural identity of the people and communities of our state.”

“We are excited that the Blue Ridge Music Trails is a partner in this important celebration of music for North Carolina,” said Angie Chandler, executive director of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership. “We invite citizens and visitors alike to explore the roots of American music throughout our state and, of course, here in the Western North Carolina.”

For more information on the Year of Music visit ComeHearNC.com or BlueRidgeMusicNC.com.

HISTORY WITHIN YOUR FINGERTIPS

“Your reputation is attached to every guitar you build. I’m a perfectionist in everything I do, whether it’s guitars or playing golf. I get very into minute details of the equipment.”

— CALEB SMITH

Just outside of the blue-collar paper mill town of Canton, on a backroad in the bucolic depths of Haywood County, Caleb Smith is hard at work building a guitar in his basement workshop.

Guitarist/singer for Balsam Range, the 2018 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) “Entertainer of the Year,” Smith is part of one of the most successful and acclaimed acts of the genre in the last decade.

And when he’s not onstage or on the road with the band, he’s back in his shop meticulously constructing some of the finest guitars that have overtaken the luthier industry in recent years.

“When I started, I didn’t have a goal. I just wanted to see if I could build a guitar,” Smith said. “After a few years, my goals changed to, ‘Let’s see if I can build 10 guitars in a year, all while traveling 100 days a year with Balsam Range.’ Last year, I built 24 guitars while on tour most of the year.”

At 11, Smith first picked up a guitar and learned to play it. When he was 13, his father, a talented carpenter, decided to build a guitar. And it’s that love for string instruments and woodwork that has remained in Smith’s blood.

“As a guitar player, the more

Caleb Smith, guitar player for renowned bluegrass band Balsam Range, is also an accomplished luthier.

you play, your guitar wears, the frets wear out. And you’ve got to get somebody to fix those. Well, I got tired of waiting for people to fix my stuff, so I just learned how to do it,” Smith said. “I started doing repairs and setup work for friends, and then it kind of grew from there. I was building houses and doing construction from 2006 to 2008. Then, in 2008, when the economy went nuts, I decided to build my first guitar, just to see if I could do it.”

So, how did that first guitar turn out?

“The first one taught me a lot of what not to do, and what I definitely needed that I didn’t have tool-wise to get set up if I was going to do this. I finished the first one — it was OK, really rough, played OK, looked awful,” Smith chuck-

led. “By the fourth one, I had orders for five more, then 10 more, then 20. By 2012, I was 50 guitars behind. As of today, I’ve built about 100.”

While planning out each guitar build, Smith takes great pleasure in finding the finest, most sought-after wood possible, no matter the distance.

“I do enjoy the hunt for the wood. Quality of materials is something I learned really fast,” Smith said. “You can build a guitar out of plywood from Lowe’s, but in order to get an instrument to sound great, I think, your material quality is very important — there’s nowhere too far I wouldn’t go for mahogany and rosewood.”

Now in the triple digit production numbers of his luthier career, Smith’s

guitars are in high-demand, fetching upwards of thousands of dollars. The superior quality of the instruments is a testament to Smith’s work ethic and artisan techniques.

“Your reputation is attached to every guitar you build. I’m a perfectionist in everything I do, whether it’s guitars or playing golf. I get very into minute details of the equipment,” Smith said. “A prominent mandolin maker in Texas told me one time, ‘If you put 10 percent more time into what you do, you can get 50 percent more money.’ And he’s right. But, that’s not why I do it. If you apply yourself a little bit more to get that edge, to where you can see that guitar from across the room — that’s why I do it.”

‘STATE OF MUSIC’

Interviews, and jam sessions with NC musicians

With the completion of its third season, David Holt’s “State of Music” remains a beloved mainstay on PBS stations around Southern Appalachia and across the country.

“We’re trying to reach out, to find those people that are somewhere in between notoriety and a down-home performer,” Holt said. “Bringing more people to this music is what it comes down to.”

The show focuses on well-known North Carolina groups (Balsam Range, Steep Canyon Rangers, Avett Brothers), performers (Rhiannon Giddens, Bryan Sutton, Dom Flemons) and more underground marvels from around the state (The Branchettes). The program also hops over the state line into Tennessee for memorable conversations with Doyle Lawson and Amythyst Kiah.

This latest season features sit down interviews and pickin’-n-grinnin’ sessions with the likes of Jerry Douglas, Molly Tuttle, Sam Bush, Joe Newberry, April Verch and Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton.

“We just want to inform people that, ‘Hey, there’s a lot out here,’” Holt said. “Some of the people it may be the first time you’ve heard of them, and others will be people that are known that’ll bring others to our show.”

An Asheville-based old-time/bluegrass performer and musicologist, Holt is a melodic treasure in his own right, hosting numerous performances and discussions throughout the year. Having won four Grammys thus far in his career, Holt’s acco-

lades include the Grammy for “Best Traditional Folk Recording” in 2002 for his album “Legacy,” which featured his long-time friend and collaborator — the late, legendary Doc

Watson.

“I think [the state of music in general] is really strong at this particular time,” Holt said. “There’s a generation of people like me who knew all the

old guys — Tommy Jarrell and Doc Watson — and were friends with those people. And now we’re the oldtimers, so there’s still a very vibrant relationship between the old-timers that maybe have gone on before, and they’re still influencing people a lot [today].”

For more information on the “State of Music” and/or to watch full episodes and clips, go to www.pbs.org and search “State of Music.” To learn more about David Holt, click on www.davidholt.com.

David Holt sits down with Roger Howell (TOP PHOTO BY BRIAN HUNTER) for his weekly show. Early in his career, Holt toured with Doc and Merle Watson (below).

CARRYING ON THE TRADITIONS

String act forms out of Junior Appalachian Musicians

When she was a youngster, Sadie Wicker found herself at the 2011 Fiddler’s Grove OldTime Festival in Union Grove. It was there Wicker, a Haywood County native, watched acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Josh Goforth pickin’-n-grinnin’ onstage. The performance captivated her.

“I became very interested in learning to play clawhammer banjo. I joined [Junior Appalachian Musicians] in the fall after hearing won-

derful things about the program,” Wicker said. “Being taught under the guidance of talented local instructors really jump-started my playing. The ear training and modeling techniques used to teach gave me a solid foundation and skill set to build on.”

Of all the programs and initiatives keeping traditional music alive and well in Western North Carolina, the nonprofit Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) is an increasingly vital and crucial outlet for elementary and

middle/high school students who are eager to partake in learning process and creation of traditional music.

“My great-grandfather played clawhammer banjo and was an inspiration for me. I was introduced to the JAM program through flyers that were passed out at my school, and joined JAM in the fourth grade,” said Josh Sutton, a JAM student in Haywood County. “I learned to play the banjo from Travis Stuart, and the next year I moved to the ad-

Possum on a Whale formed from young musicians who took part in the Junior Appalachian Music (JAM) program.

DONATED PHOTO

vanced band class taught by Robbie Robertson. The instructors taught us how to play music by ear so we all developed a strong relative pitch. Playing in a band setting through JAM taught us a lot of the songs we still play, and it helped us all become better musicians.”

Through JAM, Wicker (banjo) and Sutton (guitar) formed Possum on a Whale in 2015. A traditional string act based out of Haywood County, the sextet continues to make new music and perform in and around Western North Carolina.

“Playing in a group setting with other young people [in JAM] with the same musical interest was invaluable to our development as a band later on,” Wicker said. “Learning to play the banjo through JAM really changed my life, it gave me confidence, and grounded me during a pretty difficult time in my life.”

“By the second year of being in band class, we were representing and promoting the JAM program at local events. We were able to build up connections, and gain valuable experience playing for audiences while we were still in the program,” Sutton added. “In 2015, we partnered with the local 4-H and formed a ‘Pickers Club,’ where we met weekly and continued to develop our skills, as well as get support from local musicians. The ‘Pickers Club’ helped us transition into our own group.”

In 2018, Possum on a Whale had the honor of representing Haywood County on the JAM Stage at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Wide Open Bluegrass festival in downtown Raleigh.

“This year, we’re hoping to expand our connections locally through more live performances, and broaden our presence on a larger scale through our social media pages,” Wicker said. “We have several talented vocalists in the band that we’re going to highlight more in our performances, along with expanding our repertoire of tunes. It’s hard to tell where we’ll be long-term because we have a wide age range in our group and we are all at different places in our lives. For now, what’s important to us is that we enjoy playing together, make some extra money, and that our audiences smile and dance in appreciation.”

Regardless of what the future holds for Possum on a Whale, what remains is a group of JAM students who have taken the next step of their sincere love and appreciation of traditional music — something invaluable in today’s world.

“Music is one of the few things that can travel through time and stay relevant for generations. While technology and progress have altered many traditional mountain customs, old-time music creates a bridge that keeps people connected to their history and their ancestors, and provides a sense of place through the songs and tunes that are passed down,” Wicker said. “Playing an instrument is especially valuable for young people in our generation, who are often disconnected from their roots through ever increasing technological distractions. Playing old-time music strengthens family bonds, makes memories, and builds community identity by honoring and passing on the musical heritage unique to our mountains for generations to come.”

STEPPING OUT IN WESTERN CAROLINA

A history of clogging in the Appalachian Mountains

BY KINSEY BROOKE

Western North Carolina boasts many distinguished forms of cultural expressions. From lively bluegrass music to acclaimed local cuisine, it possesses a rich heritage dating back to as early as the 1700s, with roots stemming from ethnographic fusions and the resulting interchange of crafts, customs, and folklore.

Among these esteemed traditions is the practice and performance of percussive dance. Clogging, in particular, acts as the heartbeat of the traditional dance scene.

Given the region’s vibrant history, it is no surprise that clogging has maintained its cultural significance and still holds a prominent place within the contemporary performing arts arena.

The folkways of North Carolina are the product of the amalgamation of several contributing populations, predominantly European settlers, the indigenous population of Native Americans, and the early AfricanAmerican community.

The primary nationalities of the European in-migrators during the late 1700s and early 1800s were Scotch-Irish, English, and

Cloggers at Mountain Heritage Day. WCU PHOTO

German, however, the Scotch-Irish, who are also known as Ulster-Scots, configured the majority of these settlers. Before migrating to North America, the Ulster-Scots had already experienced a blending of social attributes and features.

Following the direction of King James I, the Ulster region of Ireland became occupied by a mixture of English settlers and Scottish migrators from the Scottish Lowlands. The formation of this group produced a conglomeration of cultural trademarks, drawing from each of the respective countries.

When this composite population traveled to America and migrated as far down as the Southeast, their traditions, expressive arts, and intangible cultural heritage converged with practices of people from different ethnic backgrounds — specifically African-Americans and the local Native Americans, namely the Cherokee. Percussive dance forms and other stylized footwork that was endemic to the African and Native Americans, intermingled with dancing from the United Kingdom.

The dances, dancing traditions, and most importantly, the style and technique of footwork, went through an evolution process as steps were traded, choreography was melded, and the musical accompaniment was adapted.

Though various forms of percussive dance were seen throughout the South, clogging became more categorical and gained momentum among southern dancers in the early 1900s. Scholars have made claims regarding the origins of the terms “clogging” and “clog dancing” as derivations from the English Lancashire Clog dance.

Another thought is that it arose from a Gaelic word indicating time. I’m struck by the onomatopoetic significance of the terms because “clog” sounds so much like the rhythms that are made by the feet while dancing. The names of individual steps often resemble the sound the feet make such as the “shuffle,” which is done by brushing the floor in a forward motion with the ball of the foot and then brushing it again as the foot is pulled backwards.

It is likely that the initial strains of clogging were more amateur in struc-

ture, focusing more on keeping time with the music versus a uniform technique, which might be learned through informal channels such as peer transmission or observation and mimicry at a local hoe-down or barn dance. Also, dancers might dance with their bare feet and on the soft ground as specific clogging shoes and constructed dance

performances and competitions.

The musical accompaniment has changed from body percussion and home-made instruments, to dancing to songs from pop culture — at a clogging competition in 2016, a clogging group performed a stunning routine to Andy Grammar’s “Honey I’m Good.”

Although the genre of clogging began

floors were not mainstream.

In the initial phases, clogging was more of an impromptu dance style, and due to a lack of readily available cultivated music, dancers were accompanied by diverse instruments such as the banjo, the fiddle, and other make-shift instruments such as bones and jugs.

As the rhythm of the dance is (and was) the major focal point, informal percussion such as hand clapping would also serve as simple, but effective rhythmic background for the early dancers. This hand clapping, called patting juba, came from African dancers.

Influences on certain clogging steps from Native American dances such as the stomp dance, African footwork technique, and dances from Britain can still be seen in the present-day choreography.

The dance has evolved from a casual genre to a sophisticated style with precise footwork, distinct dance shoes, formalized classes, and eye-catching

roughly 100 years ago, and the lineage of Appalachian step dancing goes back some 300 years, this dance form has burgeoned over the decades and there continues to be many local avenues through which to experience clogging.

The Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley provides music and dance performances as does Shindig on the Green in Asheville, and North Carolina’s annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival.

Clogging will most likely continue to morph in order to accommodate new influences and performance trends, but these potential changes will continue to build on the foundation that was established by the first dancers so many generations ago.

Kinsey Brooke is a scholar of Appalachian culture and heritage. An Erasmus Mundus Scholar, she holds an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree: Choreomundus International M.A. in Dance Knowledge, Practice, and Heritage.

Traditional street dances are held regularly in downtown Waynesville. SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS PHOTO

SPARKING THE FIRES OF TOMORROW

Jones House bridges musical generations

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, Mark Freed couldn’t get to Western North Carolina fast enough. After picking up and falling in love with the banjo, Freed took off for Appalachian State University in Boone in pursuit of a master’s degree in Appalachian Studies.

“I just wanted to live in ‘banjo land,’’ Freed chuckled. “The motivation to come to this area was always the music.”

Now the cultural resources coordi-

nator for the historic Jones House in Boone (Watauga County), Freed oversees a wide-range of musical events and jam sessions throughout the year, all of which are aimed at spreading the history and beauty of bluegrass and old-time music to any and all within earshot.

“Having this house is really special — it’s become a focal point within the community,” Freed said.

Aside from the popular Thursday “Old-Time Jam,” weekly summer

concerts and indoor showcases, the Jones House also boosts a robust Junior Appalachian Musicians program. Averaging around 75 kids and 25 adults, the students learn from local musicians and pickers, and also from nationally-acclaimed master musicians who host workshops before their performances.

“After the JAM lessons end, the old-time jam starts, with the idea being that it provides the kids an opportunity for the kids to see

The weekly Old-Time Jam at the Jones House in downtown Boone attracts musicians of all levels. DONATED PHOTO

where this knowledge goes. Some of these students go on to make careers out of this, while many continue to study music, perform music, and eventually teach music themselves,” Freed said. “These kids end up going and attending fiddlers conventions and concerts in the area. They become tuned into the culture that’s been around them, whether they were aware of it or not — it’s creating players and people to carry on the tradition, but it’s also creating fans and audience members.”

WANT TO GO?

• The “Summer Concerts at the Jones House” in Boone are held at 5 p.m. every Friday in June through August. Free and open to the public.

• The Jones House indoor concerts and showcases are held semiregularly throughout the year. These are ticketed events.

• The “Old-Time Jam” is held at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday at the Jones House. It is free and open to the public. All skill levels are encouraged.

For more information, click on joneshouse.org or call 828.268.6280.

On June 24, 2011, the Jones House was integral in placing a statue in downtown Boone of its most beloved musician — the late Doc Watson. Still alive at that time, Watson was able to be part of the ceremony, and also performed that day. Since then, “Doc Watson Day” is held every third Friday in June at Jones House, filled with live music and artistic celebration.

Freed also notices how organic the connections are between the generations, where the musicians — young and old — are partaking in a rare thing it seems nowadays in the digital age — a face-to-face conversation.

“It’s an opportunity to sit with human beings and create interaction. It’s a chance to put your screens away and sit in a circle,” Freed said. “It’s about exposing yourself to other people in the community, to these musicians who are carrying on these traditions. And then to have an opportunity to hang out and play with them, to learn tunes, share tunes, jam and creating a community — a place for people to sit and have a conversation.”

Freed is witnessing first-hand the next generation of bluegrass and old-time music torch bearers. It’s an evergrowing and ever-evolving scene, one that continues to blossom and flourish at the Jones House.

“It’s going to survive and it continues to be recorded and documented. But, what’s important is if it continues to mean something for people,” Freed said. “This music still finds a community of people that it reaches, who find fulfillment from it, which creates a lifelong passion and a place within the community for the rest of your life. I’m still seeing young people finding that spirit about it, discovering that and latching onto that. As long as it continues to fulfill that in people, then there will be a need for it — and it will survive.”

92ND ANNUAL MOUNTAIN DANCE AND FOLK FESTIVAL®

AUGUST 1-3, 2019

UNCA LIPINSKY HALL AUDITORIUM

300 LIBRARY LANE

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

WWW.FOLKHERITAGE.ORG

53RD ANNUAL SHINDIG ON THE GREEN®

JOIN US “ALONG ABOUT SUNDOWN” FOR 8 SATURDAYS THIS SUMMER! THIS FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT IS HELD IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE AT PACK SQUARE PARK

JULY 6, 13, 20, 27, AUGUST 10, 17, 24, 31

HAPPENINGS HAPPENINGS

Festivals, Concert Series, Jam Sessions, Music Camps, Exhibits and more

YEAR ROUND 6

Alleghany Jubilee

SPARTA

alleghanyjubilee.com

Mondays 6 pm-8 pm, Tuesdays 7 pm-9:30 pm, Saturdays 7 pm-10 pm

Baywood Boy's Barbecue

Bluegrass Jam

SPARTA

BlueRidgeMusicNC.com

Thursdays 6 pm-9 pm

Blue Ridge & Beyond Concert Series

MOUNT AIRY

surryarts.org

Concerts year round, visit website

Bluegrass & Mountain Music Jam

BANNER ELK

BlueRidgeMusicNC.com

3rd Monday monthly, 6:15 pm-8:15 pm

Bluegrass & Old-Time Music at Jack of the Wood ASHEVILLE jackofthewood.com

Wednesdays 6 pm Old-Time Jam, Thursdays Bluegrass Band & Jam 7 pm, FridaySaturday evening bands, visit website

A Celebration of Mountain Music (Jam Session)

FRANKLIN

BlueRidgeMusicNC.com

Tuesdays 6 pm-8 pm

Cherokee Heritage Days

CHEROKEE

cherokeemuseum.org

2nd Saturday each month 11 am-5 pm

Cherokee

Exhibit

HAYESVILLE cccra-nc.org

Daily, Sunrise to Sunset

Community Old Time Dance at the Todd Mercantile

TODD toddmercantile.com

Once each month 6 pm, visit website

Concerts & Events at Blowing

Rock Art & History Museum

BLOWING ROCK blowingrockmuseum.org

Year round & summer concert series

Concerts at the Ashe Civic Center

WEST JEFFERSON ashecivic.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at 185 King Street

BREVARD 185kingst.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at Asheville Music Hall

ASHEVILLE ashevillemusichall.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at Black Mountain Center for the Arts

BLACK MOUNTAIN blackmountainarts.org

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at Burnsville

Town Center

BURNSVILLE burnsvilletowncenter.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute

HUDSON cccti.edu

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium MORGANTON commaonline.org

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at Green Heron Ale House

DANBURY greenheronclub.com

Music year round, visit website

Concerts at Highland Brewing Company

ASHEVILLE highlandbrewing.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at J.E. Broyhill Civic Center

LENOIR broyhillcenter.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at Reeves Theater

ELKIN reevestheater.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at The Arts Place of Stokes

DANBURY artsplaceofstokes.org

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at the Don Gibson Theatre

SHELBY dongibsontheater.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at The Foundation Performing Arts Center

SPINDALE foundationshows.org

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at The Grey Eagle

ASHEVILLE thegreyeagle.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Homestead

Blue Grass & Old-Time Fiddlers Convention in Mount Airy. DONATED PHOTO

Concerts at The Orange Peel

ASHEVILLE theorangepeel.net

Concerts year round, visit website

Concerts at White Horse Black Mountain

BLACK MOUNTAIN whitehorseblackmountain.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Crouse House Pickers (Jam Session)

SPARTA sparta-nc.com

Mondays 6 pm

Earl Scruggs Center (Exhibits)

SHELBY earlscruggscenter.org

Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-4 pm

Feed & Seed Concerts

FLETCHER feedandseednc.com

Friday-Saturday 7:30 pm-9:30 pm

Jam Sessions at the Barber Shop

DREXEL blueridgemusicnc.com

Saturdays 11 am

Jimmy's Pick n Grin ANDREWS blueridgemusicnc.com

Saturdays 7 pm-11 pm

John C. Campbell Folk School Concert Series

BRASSTOWN folkschool.org

Fridays, some Thursdays, 7 pm

John C. Campbell Traditional Music & Dance Classes

BRASSTOWN folkschool.org

Weeklong/Weekend music classes

John Hartford Bluegrass Jam ASHEVILLE wickedweedbrewing.com

Wednesdays 6:30 pm-9:30 pm

Live Music at Woodlands Barbeque

BLOWING ROCK woodlandsbbq.com

Nightly 6 pm-8 pm, visit website

Madison County Arts Council Concerts Series

MARSHALL madisoncountyarts.com

Concerts year round, visit website

Micaville Music Jam

MICAVILLE ooakartgallery.com

Saturdays 10 am-12 noon

Mount Airy Museum of Regional History (Exhibits)

MOUNT AIRY northcarolinamuseum.org

Tuesdays-Sundays 10 am-5 pm, exhibits and events, visit website

Mountain Music Jam at Sanctuary Brewing HENDERSONVILLE sanctuarybrewco.com

Wednesdays 6:30 pm-8:30 pm

Mountain Music Mondays at the Tasty Weasel Taproom

BREVARD oskarblues.com

Mondays 6 pm-8 pm

Music & Dance at the Stompin' Ground

MAGGIE VALLEY

blueridgemusicnc.com

Fridays-Saturdays 8 pm-10:30 pm

Music & History at Wilkes

Heritage Museum

WILKESBORO wilkesheritagemuseum.com

Monday-Friday 10 am - 4 pm

Music at the Depot

MARSHALL blueridgemusicnc.com

Fridays 6:30 pm

Music N'All at the Barn

EDEN exploreedennc.com Tuesdays 7 pm-9 pm

Oconaluftee Old-Time Music Jam

CHEROKEE nps.gov/grsm 3rd Saturday every month, May-October add 1st Saturday 1 pm-3 pm

Old-Time Community Jam

BANNER ELK blueridgemusicnc.com

2nd Saturday monthly, 12 noon-2 pm

Old-Time

Jam Session

MOUNT AIRY surryarts.org

Saturdays 9 am-11 am

Open Mic & Concerts at Muddy Creek Café & Music Hall

SPARTA

muddycreekcafeandmusichall.com Thursdays 7 pm-10:30 pm, Friday-Saturday 8 pm-10 pm

Phipps General Store Jam LANSING blueridgemusicnc.com Fridays 7 pm-11 pm

Pickin' at The Log House

WEST JEFFERSON blueridgemusicnc.com

Thursdays-Fridays 5:30 pm-8 pm

Sandy Ridge Music Association Bluegrass & Gospel Concerts

SANDY RIDGE

blueridgemusicnc.com 2nd Saturday, monthly 6 pm-8 pm

Saturday Jam at the Todd Mercantile TODD toddmercantile.com Saturdays 1 pm-3 pm

Saturday Morning Gospel Jam MARION blueridgemusicnc.com Saturdays 10 am-12 pm

SEBA 3rd Saturday Jam FRANKLIN coweeschool.org Saturdays 12 noon-3 pm

Sims Country Bar-B-Que - Food, Music & Dancing GRANITE FALLS simscountrybbq.com Fridays-Saturdays 5 pm-9 pm

Sunday Afternoon Jam at the Mountain Gateway Museum OLD FORT mgmnc.org Sundays 2 pm-4 pm

Sunset Series at the Peterson Amphitheater

TRYON

tryonarts.org Thursdays 7 pm

Thursday Night Jam at the Silvermont Mansion BREVARD silvermont.org Thursdays 7 pm

RADIO SHOWS

Enjoy the sounds of mountain music from the comfort of your home, cabin, or car by dialing in (or streaming) a radio show. Here’s a sampling:

• BLUEGRASS REVIEW, 3-5 pm Sundays, WSQL 102.1FM

• CLOSE TO HOME (old-time music), 8-10 pm Saturdays, WCQS 88.1 FM

• COUNTRY ROOTS, 7-9 pm Sundays, WCQS 88.1 FM

• GOIN’ ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN, (bluegrass), 11 am-7 pm Saturdays, WNCW 88.7 FM

• GOSPEL TRUTH, (bluegrass gospel), 7-9 am Sundays, WNCW 88.7 FM

• MERLEFEST RADIO HOUR, 6-7 pm Sundays, WNCW 88.7 FM

• MOUNTAIN MORNINGS, (bluegrass), Sunday through Friday, 6-7 am, WNCW 88.7 FM

• THIS OLD PORCH, (old-time music), 3-6 pm Sundays, WNCW 88.7 FM

• WPAQ 740 AM – bluegrass and old-time music

Thursday Night Jam Session

MOUNT AIRY surryarts.org

Thursdays 7 pm-9 pm

Tom Dooley Museum Exhibit FERGUSON whippoorwillacademy.com

3rd Saturday, monthly 1 pm-5 pm or by appointment

Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions and Concerts at Isis Music Hall ASHEVILLE isisasheville.com

Tuesdays 7:30 pm-9:30 pm, Concerts year round, visit website

Wednesday Night Bluegrass HIGHLANDS

theuglydogpub.com

Bluegrass year round, visit website

Weekly Jam Sessions at the Jones House BOONE joneshouse.org

Thursday 7:30 pm-11 pm

Woody's Original Mountain Music MARION blueridgemusicnc.com

Fridays 7 pm-9:30 pm

WPAQ Saturday Morning MerryGo-Round at the Earle Theater

MOUNT AIRY wpaq740.com

Saturdays 11 am-1:30 pm

Yadkin Cultural Arts Center Concert Series

YADKINVILLE yadkinarts.org

Concerts year round, visit website

Zuma Coffee Bluegrass Jam Session

MARSHALL zumascoffee.com

Thursdays 7 pm-9 pm

SEASONAL

John C. Campbell Folk School

Tuesday Night Contra & Square Dances BRASSTOWN folkschool.org

January-Mid-November, Tuesdays 7 pm-8 pm

John C. Campbell Folk School

Community Contra & Square and English Country Dances BRASSTOWN folkschool.org

January-November, most Saturdays 8 pm-11 pm, visit website

Traditional Concert Series at Davidson College

DAVIDSON davidson.edu/the-arts

January-April, one concert monthly, visit website

Pickin at Priddy's in February

DANBURY priddysgeneralstore.com

February, Fridays 7 pm-9 pm

Micaville Music Concert Series

MICAVILLE ooakartgallery.com

March-December, Thursdays 7 pm-9 pm

Singer & Songwriters Series at Tucker's Barn

LENOIR blueridgemusicnc.com

April-October, 1st Thursday 7 pm-9 pm

Red, White & Bluegrass Jam Session

BOONE blueridgemusicnc.com

April-November, 1st & 3rd Tuesday 7 pm

Songwriter Showcase

HAYESVILLE

thepeacocknc.org

April 20, June 8, July 13, September 14, 7 pm

The Way of the Dulcimer Spring & Fall Retreat

LITTLE SWITZERLAND donpedi.com

April 25, September 9, Thursday 4 pm-10 pm, Friday-Saturday 8 am-10 pm

Blackmon Amphitheatre Summer Concerts

MOUNT AIRY surryarts.org

April 26-October 12, 1-3 concerts weekly 7 pm

Backstreet Park Summer Concerts

WEST JEFFERSON visitwestjefferson.org

May-August Fridays, 5:30 pm

Brasstown Community Civic Center Summer Concerts

BRASSTOWN

brasstowncommunitycenter.org

May-August, 2nd & 4th Saturdays 7 pm

Mid-Day Mountain Music at the Blue Ridge Music Center

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY MILEPOST 213 blueridgemusiccenter.org

May-October, daily 12 pm-4 pm

Concerts at the Blue Ridge Music Center

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY MILEPOST 213 blueridgemusiccenter.org

May-October, visit website

Open Mic & Jam Sessions at Orchard at Altapass SPRUCE PINE altapassorchard.org

May-October, Wednesday 1:15 pm

Blue Ridge Music Center Roots of American Music Exhibition

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY MILEPOST 213 blueridgemusiccenter.org

May, Thursday-Monday; June-October, open daily 10 am-5 pm

First Thursday Concert & Jam CULLOWHEE wcu.edu

May-October, 1st Thursday of each month 7 pm

Live Mountain Music at the Orchard at Altapass SPRUCE PINE altapassorchard.org

May-October, Thursday-Friday 1:45 pm, Saturday-Sunday 1 pm, 3 pm

Jam Sessions at the T.M. Rickman Store FRANKLIN rickmanstore.com

May 4-December 14, Saturdays 12 noon-4 pm

Friday Night Live

HIGHLANDS highlandschamber.org

May 17-October 11, Fridays 6 pm

Pickin on the Square FRANKLIN franklinnc.com

May 18-October 18, Saturdays 7 pm-9 pm

Summer Concert Series on the Historic Hayesville Square HAYESVILLE cccra-nc.org

May 24-September 6, most Fridays 6 pm

Annual Old Folks Day Shaped-Note Singing in Haywood County. DONATED PHOTO

Concerts on the Creek at Bridge Park

SYLVA mountainlovers.com

May 24-August 30, Fridays 7 pm and July 4th

Groovin' on the Green Summer Concert Series

CASHIERS

villagegreencashiersnc.com

May 31-August 23, Friday 6:30 pm; May 25, August 31, Saturday 7 pm; July 4, 7 pm

Outdoor Concerts at the Jones House

BOONE joneshouse.org

June-August, Fridays 5 pm

Todd Summer Concert Series

TODD toddnc.org

June-August, Saturdays 6 pm

Pickin on the Porch Jammin in the Shade BURNSVILLE blueridgemusicnc.com

June-August, Sundays 2 pm-4 pm

Music on the Courthouse Square in Robbinsville

ROBBINSVILLE townofrobbinsville.com

June-Mid-September, Fridays 8 pm-10:30 pm

Music on Main in Sparta

SPARTA blueridgemusicnc.com

June-September, 1st Friday 8 pm

Historic Cowee School Concert Series

FRANKLIN coweeschool.org

June-September, 3rd Saturday each month 7 pm

Tunes on the Tuck BRYSON CITY greatsmokies.com

June-October, Saturdays 7 pm-9 pm

Shindig on the Green ASHEVILLE folkheritage.org

June 6-July 27 & August 10-31, Saturdays 7 pm

Summer Concerts at Tate-Evans Park

BANNER ELK bannerelk.org

June 27- August 22, Thursdays 6:30 pm

Waynesville Street Dance

WAYNESVILLE

downtownwaynesville.com

June 28, July 12, 26, August 9, 6:30 pm-9 pm; September 27, 6 pm-8 pm

An Appalachian Evening Summer Concert Series

ROBBINSVILLE stecoahvalleycenter.com

June 29-August 31, Saturdays 7:30 pm9:30 pm

Songcatchers Music Series

BREVARD cradleofforestry.com

July Sundays, 2 pm-5 pm

Hendersonville Street Dances

HENDERSONVILLE visithendersonvillenc.org

July-August, Mondays 7 pm

Joe Shannon's Mountain Home Music Concert Series

BOONE & BLOWING ROCK mountainhomemusic.com

July-December, matinee & evening concerts, visit website

Concerts at the Rock

VALDESE townofvaldese.com

September-April, one Friday or Saturday each month 7 pm

Indoor Concerts at the Jones House

BOONE joneshouse.org

September-May 7:30 pm, 1-3 concerts each month, visit website

The Original Pickin at Priddy's DANBURY priddysgeneralstore.com

October, 1st Saturday plus the next four, 3 pm-5 pm 6

APRIL

APRIL 5-6

Surry Old Time Fiddlers Convention DOBSON surryoldtime.com

Fridays 7 pm-10 pm, Saturdays 10 am-11 pm

APRIL 13

Quay Smathers Memorial Singing School

CLYDE qssingingschool.org Saturdays, 9 am-4:30 pm

APRIL 20

Yadkin Valley Bluegrass Convention YADKINVILLE blueridgemusicnc.com Saturdays 12 noon-10 pm

APRIL 20-21

Arts & Flowers Spring Craft Festival TRYON tryonartsandcrafts.org

Saturdays 10 am-5 pm, Sundays 11 am-5 pm

APRIL 25-28 MerleFest WILKESBORO merlefest.org

Thursdays 2:30 pm-11 pm, Friday & Saturday 9 am-11 pm, Sundays 9 am-7 pm 6 MAY 6

MAY 4

Spring Etowah Christian Harmony Singing & School ETOWAH christianharmony.org

Saturdays, 9:15 am lesson, 10 am-3 pm singing

MAY 9-12

Spring LEAF Festival BLACK MOUNTAIN theleaf.org

Thursdays 4:30 pm-10 pm, Friday & Saturday 9 am-11 pm, Sundays 9 am-3 pm

MAY 18

Tom Dooley Day FERGUSON whippoorwillacademy.com

Saturdays 10 am-5 pm

MAY 24-25

Swain County Heritage Festival BRYSON CITY greatsmokies.com

Late May, Friday 5 pm-10 pm, Saturday 9 am-9 pm, visit website

BLUE RIDGE MUSIC TRAILS PODCAST

The “Down the Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina” podcast highlights bluegrass and old-time music stories, performers, and traditions across the mountain and foothills counties of Western North Carolina.

The podcast is hosted by Laura Boosinger, a celebrated musician, folklorist, and storyteller, and produced by Kim Clark of WNCW-FM.

Short and sweet, the three-minute episodes air weekly on WNCW-FM (88.7) at 8:50 am on Tuesday mornings (during NPR’s Morning Edition) and around 4:30 pm on Sunday afternoons (during the show This Old Porch).

Recent episodes include: rising stars of Appalachian music, the murder ballad “Tom Dooley,” the Appalachian dulcimer, and the legend of the Brown Mountain Lights. You can find and listen to all the episodes at blueridgemusicnc.com/listen-and-learn/down-the-road

MAY 24-26

Mountain Acoustics Luthier Invitational

BURNSVILLE mountainacoustics.com

Friday 7 pm-9 pm, Saturday 9 am-9:30 pm, Sunday 10 am-3:30 pm

MAY 24-26

Fiddlers Grove Old Time

Fiddler’s & Bluegrass Festival UNION GROVE fiddlersgrove.com

Friday 5 pm-8 pm, Saturday 10 am-8 pm, Sunday 10 am-2 pm

MAY 26

Red, White & Blue at Priddy's DANBURY priddysgeneralstore.com

Saturday 6 pm-8 pm

MAY 27

Carl Sandburg Folk Music Festival

FLAT ROCK

nps.gov/carl Monday 10 am-4 pm

MAY 31-JUNE 1

Cold Mountain Music Festival

CANTON coldmountainmusic.org

Friday 1 pm-10 pm, Saturday 12 noon-11 pm

JUNE

JUNE 1-2

Mount Airy Bluegrass and Old Time Fiddlers Convention

MOUNT AIRY

mountairyfiddlersconvention.com

Friday 7:00 pm-11:00 pm, Saturday 9:30 am-11:00 pm

JUNE 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Pickin’ on the Square at Hendersonville’s Historic Courthouse

HENDERSONVILLE hendersoncountync.org

June Saturdays, 6 pm - 8 pm

JUNE 5-8

Mount Airy

Old-Time Retreat MOUNT AIRY surryarts.org

Wednesday - Saturday all day

JUNE 6-8

Cherokee Bluegrass Festival

MARION adamsbluegrass.com

Thursday 12 noon-Saturday 10 pm

JUNE 8

Cherokee Voices Festival

CHEROKEE cherokeemuseum.org

Saturday 10 am-5 pm

JUNE 9

Bluff Mountain Festival

HOT SPRINGS madisoncountyarts.com Saturday 10 am-6 pm

JUNE 9-15

Blue Ridge Old-Time Music Week

MARS HILL mhu.edu/conferences

Sunday-Saturday, week-long session

JUNE 16-22

Roots of American Music Week

MARS HILL mhu.edu/conferences

Sunday-Saturday, week-long session

JUNE 21

Elkin Roots Music Fest

ELKIN foothillsartscouncil.org Friday 6 pm-10 pm

JUNE 22

RiddleFest BURNSVILLE traditionalvoicesgroup.com Saturday, 3 pm-4 pm Seminar; 7 pm-9 pm Concert

JUNE 23

Singing on the Mountain at MacRae Meadows LINVILLE grandfather.com Saturday 8:30 am-3 pm

JUNE 29

Annual Heritage Day and Wood

Kiln Opening LENOIR traditionspottery.com

Saturday 9 am-4 pm

JUNE 30-JULY 6

Swannanoa Gathering Mando & Banjo Week and Fiddle Week ASHEVILLE swangathering.com

Sunday-Saturday 7:30 am-11 pm

JULY 4-6

Red, White, and Blue Festival

MORGANTON redwhiteandbluegrassfestival.org

Wednesday 3 pm-9:30 pm, Thursday-Saturday 1 pm-10:30 pm

JULY 5-6

Christmas in July Festival WEST JEFFERSON christmasinjuly.info

Friday 6 pm-10 pm, Saturday 9 am-6 pm

JULY 5-6

Heritage Festival - Music, Moonshiners, Motors & Mountaineers

ROBBINSVILLE townofrobbinsville.com

Friday 5 pm-10:30 pm, Saturday 9 am-11 pm

JULY 6

Coon Dog Day

SALUDA cityofsaludanc.com

Saturday 9 am-11 pm

JULY 6

John C. Campbell Annual Shaped-Note Singing & Picnic on the Grounds

BRASSTOWN folkschool.org

Saturday 10 am-3 pm

JULY 7-13

Swannanoa Gathering Traditional Song Week ASHEVILLE swangathering.com

Sunday-Saturday 7:30 am-11 pm

JULY 8-12

Sounds of Appalachian Music Camp

NEWLAND mayland.edu

Monday - Friday 10 am-6 pm

JULY 12-13

Annual NC Blackberry Festival

LENOIR

ncblackberryfestival.com

Friday 5 pm-9 pm, Saturday 9 am-9 pm

JULY 18-28

Folkmoot

WAYNESVILLE & WNC folkmootusa.org

Weeklong events, visit website

JULY 19-20

Alleghany County Fiddlers Convention

SPARTA alleghanyfiddlersconvention.com

Friday 5 pm-10 pm, Saturday 11 am-11 pm

JULY 19- 20

Spruce Pine BBQ Championship & Bluegrass Festival

SPRUCE PINE

sprucepinebbqbluegrass.org

Friday 4 pm-10 pm, Saturday 10 am-10 pm

JULY 21-27

Swannanoa Gathering Old-Time Week

ASHEVILLE swangathering.com

Sunday-Saturday 7:30 am-11 pm

JULY 26-27

Ashe County Bluegrass and Old Time Fiddlers Convention JEFFERSON ashefiddlersconvention.org

Friday 7 pm-9 pm, Saturday 10 am-10 pm

JULY 27

Swannanoa Shaped Note Singing

ASHEVILLE christianharmony.org

Saturday 10 am-3 pm

JULY 28-AUGUST 3

Swannanoa Gathering Guitar Week

ASHEVILLE swangathering.com

Sunday-Saturday 7:30 am-11 pm

AUGUST

AUGUST 1-3

Mountain Dance & Folk Festival

ASHEVILLE folkheritage.org

Thursday - Saturday 6:30 pm-9:30 pm

AUGUST 10

Annual Fontana Dam Bluegrass Festival FONTANA DAM

blueridgemusicnc.com

Saturday 3 pm-9 pm

AUGUST 15-17

Annual North Carolina State Bluegrass Festival

CHEROKEE adamsbluegrass.com

Thursday 11 am-Saturday 11 pm

AUGUST 17

Franklin Area Folk Festival

FRANKLIN franklinfolkfestival.com

Saturday 10 am-4 pm

AUGUST 22-24

Clear Mountain View Festival

LAWNDALE blueridgemusicnc.com

Thursday-Saturday all day

AUGUST 30-31

The Smoky Mountain Folk Festival

LAKE JUNALUSKA

lakejunaluska.com

Friday & Saturday 6:30 pm

AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 1

Happy Valley Fiddlers Convention

LENOIR happyvalleyfiddlers.org

Friday 7 pm-11 pm, Saturday 11 am-11 pm, Sunday 10 am-6 pm

AUGUST 31

Fall Etowah Christian Harmony Singing

ETOWAH christianharmony.org

Saturday 10 am-3:00pm

AUGUST 31

Labor Day Extravaganza

CASHIERS visitcashiersvalley.com

Saturday 6:30 pm 6

SEPTEMBER

6

SEPTEMBER 1

New River Blues Festival

GRASSY CREEK newriverbluesfestival.info Sunday 2 pm-5 pm

SEPTEMBER 6-8

Mountain Song Festival BREVARD mountainsongfestival.com

Friday 4 pm-10 pm, Saturday 12 noon-10 pm, Sunday 12 noon-6 pm

SEPTEMBER 6-15

Mountain Music Festival at the Mountain State Fair FLETCHER wncagcenter.org

Performances throughout the 10-day Fair

SEPTEMBER 7

Music at the Mill

WAYNESVILLE francismill.org

Saturday 10 am-4 pm

SEPTEMBER 7

Stokes Stomp: Festival on the Dan DANBURY stokesarts.org

Saturday 10 am-6 pm

SEPTEMBER 14

Robbinsville Fall Arts & Craft Festival

ROBBINSVILLE townofrobbinsville.com

Saturday 10 am-8 pm

SEPTEMBER 14

Annual Old Folks Day ShapedNote Singing CANTON qssingingschool.org

Sunday 12 noon-3 pm

SEPTEMBER 14

Blowing Rock Music Festival BLOWING ROCK theblowingrock.com Saturday 10 am-Sunset

SEPTEMBER 20-21

Fontana Clogging Jamboree

FONTANA DAM fontanaworkshop.com

Friday 9 am-11 pm, Saturday 8:30 am10:30 pm

SEPTEMBER 20-21

Art of Sound Festival SHELBY ccartscouncil.org

Friday 7 pm-11 pm, Saturday 10 am-10 pm

SEPTEMBER 21

Mountain Heritage Festival SPARTA sparta-nc.com

Saturday 10 am-4:30 pm

SEPTEMBER 21

Cherokee Heritage Festival in Hayesville

HAYESVILLE cccra-nc.org

Saturday 10 am-3 pm

SEPTEMBER 21

Music in the Mountains Folk Festival BURNSVILLE toeriverarts.org

Saturday 5:30 pm-8:30 pm

Rodney Sutton as Flying Possum. LEANNE SMITH PHOTO

SEPTEMBER 21-22

Carolina in the Fall Music & Food Festival

WILKESBORO carolinainthefall.org

Friday-Saturday 10 am-10 pm

SEPTEMBER 21-22

Heritage Weekend at the Folk Art Center ASHEVILLE southernhighlandguild.org

Saturday 10 am-4 pm, Sunday 12 pm-5 pm

SEPTEMBER 28

Old Timey Fall Festival

BURNSVILLE oldtimeyfallfestival.com

Saturday 10 am-4 pm

SEPTEMBER 28

Mountain Heritage Day

CULLOWHEE mountainheritageday.com

Saturday 10 am - 5 pm

SEPTEMBER

3b Music Festival

UNION GROVE 3bmusicfestival.com

Late September, Saturday, visit website

OCTOBER

OCTOBER 4

BBQ for Books with a Side of Bluegrass

KING stokespfc.com

Friday 5 pm-9 pm

OCTOBER 5

Bascom Lamar Lunsford "Minstrel of Appalachia" Festival

MARS HILL lunsfordfestival.com

Saturday 10 am-7 pm

OCTOBER 5 - 6

John C. Campbell Folk School Fall Festival

BRASSTOWN folkschool.org

Saturday-Sunday 10 am-5 pm

OCTOBER 12

Todd New River Festival

TODD blueridgemusicnc.com

Saturday 9 am-5 pm

OCTOBER 11-13

Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival

CASHIERS visitcashiersvalley.com

Friday-Sunday 10 am-5 pm

OCTOBER 11-13

Autumn Leaves Festival

MOUNT AIRY autumnleavesfestival.com

Friday-Saturday 9 am-9 pm, Sunday 12 noon-6 pm

OCTOBER 12

Sims Country Bar-B-Que Molasses Festival

GRANITE FALLS simscountrybbq.com

Saturday 9 am-4 pm

OCTOBER 12

Annual Church Street Art & Craft Show

WAYNESVILLE downtownwaynesville.com

Saturday 10 am-5 pm

OCTOBER 17-20

Fall LEAF Festival

BLACK MOUNTAIN theleaf.org

Thursday 4:30 pm-10 pm, Friday-Saturday 9 am-11 pm, Sunday 9 am-3 pm

OCTOBER 18-19

Stecoah's Harvest Festival

ROBBINSVILLE stecoahvalleycenter.com

Friday 5 pm-8 pm, Saturday 11 am-9 pm

OCTOBER 18-20

Punkin' Chunkin' HAYESVILLE claychambernc.com

Friday 6 pm-9 pm, Saturday-Sunday 10 am-6 pm

OCTOBER 19

The Official Fall Liver Mush Festival of NC, Mush, Music and Mutts

SHELBY clevelandchamber.org

Saturday 10 am-4 pm

OCTOBER 19

Valle Country Fair

VALLE CRUCIS vallecountryfair.org

Saturday 9 am-4 pm

OCTOBER 19

Appalachian Folk Festival

WEAVERVILLE nchistoricsites.org/vance/

Saturday, 10 am-3 pm

OCTOBER 19

Aldersgate Apple Butter Festival

SHELBY aldersgateshelby.com

Saturday 9 am-3 pm

OCTOBER 19

Apple Harvest Festival

WAYNESVILLE haywoodchamber.com

Saturday 10 am-5 pm

OCTOBER 19-29

Woolly Worm Festival

BANNER ELK woollyworm.com

Saturday 9 am-5 pm, Sunday 9 am-4 pm

OCTOBER 25-27

John C. Campbell Folk School Fall Square Dance Weekend BRASSTOWN folkschool.org

Friday-Sunday weekend session

6

NOVEMBER

6

NOVEMBER 7-9

North Carolina Banjo Clinic BLACK MOUNTAIN vpmusic.org

Thursday 12:30 pm-6 pm, Friday-Saturday 8:30 am-6 pm

NOVEMBER 9

Swannanoa Valley

Shape Note Singing BLACK MOUNTAIN christianharmony.org

Saturday 10 am-3 pm

NOVEMBER 10

Sunday at the Opry CANTON haywoodarts.org

Sunday, 3 pm-4:45 pm

NOVEMBER 23

Ellenboro Fiddlers and Bluegrass Convention ELLENBORO ellenboronc.info

Saturday 6:30 pm-10 pm

Stompin' Ground, Maggie Valley. DONATED PHOTO

NOVEMBER 30

Annual Thanksgiving Kiln

Opening LENOIR traditionspottery.com

Saturday 10 am-4 pm 6

DECEMBER

6

DECEMBER 5-7

Balsam Range Art of Music Festival

LAKE JUNALUSKA balsamrangeartofmusicfestival.com

Thursday 6 pm-11:30 pm, Friday-Saturday 12 noon-11:30 pm

DECEMBER 7

Annual Singing on the French Broad River

MARSHALL madisoncountyarts.com

Saturday 10 am-3 pm

DECEMBER 7

Pickin' at Priddy's Christmas

DANBURY priddysgeneralstore.com

Saturday 7 pm-9 pm

DECEMBER 7-8

Christian Harmony Singing at Saint John's Historic Church

RUTHERFORDTON christianharmony.org

Saturday-Sunday 10 am-3 pm

DECEMBER 28 & JANUARY 4, 2020

Breaking Up Christmas Dance MOUNT AIRY surryarts.org

Saturday 7 pm-9:30 pm

DECEMBER 26 - JANUARY 1, 2020

John C. Campbell Folk School Winter Dance Week

BRASSTOWN folkschool.org

Wednesday-Tuesday, week-long session 6

FEBRUARY 2020

Bluegrass First Class

ASHEVILLE bluegrassfirstclass.com

Friday-Sunday, Visit website for 2020 dates

FEBRUARY 2020

Women! Mount Airy Old-Time Retreat

MOUNT AIRY surryarts.org

Thursday-Saturday, Visit website for 2020 dates

FEBRUARY 2020

Appalachian State Old-Time

Fiddler’s Convention BOONE fiddle.appstate.edu

Friday-Saturday, Visit website for 2020 dates

MARCH 14, 2020

The Fiddlers of Madison County

MARSHALL

madisoncountyarts.com

Saturday 3 pm

MARCH 2020

NC Thumbpickers Convention STATESVILLE nctaf.com

Visit website for 2020 dates

MARCH 2020

Annual Sandy Ridge School Bluegrass Show

SANDY RIDGE blueridgemusicnc.com

Saturday, Visit website for 2020 dates

MARCH 2020

Tommy Jarrell Festival MOUNT AIRY surryarts.org Visit website for 2020 dates

MARCH 2020

Caldwell Traditional Musicians Showcase

LENOIR

broyhillcenter.com

Saturday, Visit website for 2020 dates

6

JANUARY 17, 2020

Winter's Tune

MARS HILL mhu.edu

Friday 8 pm

Begins Here Your Road Trip

Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center

Built of local stone in 1943 on the site of a former Civilian Conservation Corps camp, the Cowee School educated area youth for nearly seven decades. The historic structure, in the heart of the Cowee-Wests Mills Historic District, is now an arts and heritage center serving Western North Carolina residents and visitors.

Within a half mile of thousands of years of history, from the ancient Cowee Mound to the Rickman Store, the Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center is the hub of the Nikwasi-Cherokee Cultural Corridor. The center offers classes in the arts, pottery, weaving, shape-note singing, clogging, and mountain music among others. Rental space offers families and groups a place for weddings, reunions, and meetings.

Cowee School is known for its events. The Annual Franklin Area Folk Festival, held on the third Saturday in August and organized through a partnership with the Folk Heritage Association of Macon County, draws thousands of visitors from all over to enjoy

Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center

cultural arts, music, folk demonstrations, and food. The Cowee School Summer Concert Series, beginning in May and running through October, offers high quality entertainment from several genres of music, with an emphasis on traditional styles such as bluegrass, Americana, and folk. Except for one up-and-coming band each year, the series includes award-winning musicians and bands, both national and international.

Michael Cleveland & Fla

amekeeper

Little Jeff

Trio

Buncombe Turnpike

Becky Buller

Zoe & Cloyd

Lighht

Carolina Blue

The Kruger B Wayne Hend Brothers erson & Helen White