|
Events for the week of 04/26/2010
| MerleFest 2010 |
 Date: 4/29 - 05/02
click here for website
MerleFest is a very family-friendly atmosphere. All ages are welcome and safe. It is and has always been a great value for your ticket-buying dollar, and there is always something for everyone.
MerleFest is hosted by Doc Watson on the campus of Wilkes Community College for a celebration of "traditional-plus" music (a term Doc coined to describe the unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, country, "plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play."
When MerleFest announced its 2010 lineup on October 23, there was plenty to get excited about. Doc Watson, The Avett Brothe4rs, Little Feat, Elvis Costello, The Duhks, Sam Bush, John Cowan, Tony Rice, Peter Rowan, Scythian and dozens more MerleFest favorites recently signed on for the festival's 23rd year, leading the musical charge on the 14 stages scattered around Wilkes Community College, where more than 240 hours of music will fill the air from Thursday, April 29, to Sunday, May 2, 2010.
MerleFest 2010, presented by Lowe’s, is proud to announce that multi-talented Grammy® and Emmy® winning actor/comedian/musician Steve Martin will perform on the Watson Stage on Saturday, May 1.
“I’ve heard great things about MerleFest for years,” said Martin. “As a musician, it’s an event I’m really looking forward to playing.”
Martin is currently drawing rave reviews as he tours in support of his Rounder Records release, The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, which spent multiple weeks at the top of the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums Chart. Touring with him are the Steep Canyon Rangers, who will perform with him at MerleFest. Together they have performed at the 20th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, The View, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Carnegie Hall, the Ryman Auditorium, and other venues in cities including Boston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, Toronto, Chicago, Denver, Santa Fe and Troy, NY. The tour will wrap up on November 9 at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
Martin is a three-time Grammy® winner, the latest for his collaboration with Earl Scruggs on Foggy Mountain Breakdown (2001) and two for the comedy albums Wild and Crazy Guy (1978) and Let’s Get Small (1977). After playing on the Grammy® Award winning Foggy Mountain Breakdown with Earl Scruggs, Martin began writing a string of new banjo songs, some with lyrics and some as instrumentals. An album 45 years in the making, The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo features special vocal appearances by Mary Black, Vince Gill, Tim O’Brien, Dolly Parton and instrumental guest spots by Earl Scruggs, John McEuen, Stuart Duncan, Jerry Douglas, Pete Wernick and Tony Trischka. Martin wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album, which was recorded in Dublin, Hollywood, Nashville and New Jersey.
In support of the album, Martin has appeared on A Prairie Home Companion, American Idol’s season finale, Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, CBS Early Show and Tavis Smiley.
MerleFest 2010 announced its talent line up last week, and at the time, festival director Ted Hagaman promised surprises and additions to the list. The award-winning SteelDrivers have also been confirmed and will perform on Thursday and Friday.
MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College and a celebration of “traditional plus” music. Scheduled for April 29 – May 2, 2010, the event is held on the campus of Wilkes Community college in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. An eclectic group of over 75 artists performing on 15 stages will provide the “traditional plus” sound for which the festival is known.
The MerleFest box office will open for 2010 ticket sales on Tuesday, November 10, at 2:00 p.m. EST. Ticket purchases can be made on the web at www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. An early bird ticket discount is available through March 12, 2010.
Directions
From North via I-81 and I-77:
Interstate Highway 81 to Interstate 77 South (65 miles) to US Highway 421 North. Travel 21 miles on 421 North to Highway 268 West in Wilkesboro, NC. Note: Wilkes Community College sign on Highway 421. Continue 1/2 mile west past the entrance to Wilkes Community College to the Blue Lot parking and shuttle.
From South via I-85 and I-77:
Interstate Highway 85 to Interstate 77 North at Charlotte, NC. Travel I-77 North (63 miles) to US 421 North. Travel 21 miles on 421 North to Highway 268 West in Wilkesboro, NC. Note: Wilkes Community College sign on Highway 421. Continue 1/2 mile west past the entrance to Wilkes Community College to the Blue Lot parking and shuttle.
From West via I-40 and I-77:
Interstate Highway 40 to Interstate 77 North at Statesville, NC. Travel I-77 North (23 miles) to US 421 North. Travel 21 miles on 421 North to Highway 268 West in Wilkesboro, NC. Note: Wilkes Community College sign on Highway 421. Continue 1/2 mile west past the entrance to Wilkes Community College to the Blue Lot parking and shuttle.
From East via I-40:
Interstate Highway 40 to Highway 421 North at Winston-Salem, NC. Travel 49 miles on 421 North to Highway 268 West in Wilkesboro, NC. Note: Wilkes Community College sign on Highway 421. Continue 1/2 mile west past the entrance to Wilkes Community College to the Blue Lot parking and shuttle.
|
|
| Tweetsie Railroad's Opening Day! |
 Date: 4/30 - 4/30
For an old-fashioned day in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Tweetsie Railroad is celebrating 50 years of unforgettable fun! Tweetsie Railroad is a unique High Country attraction that incorporates historic steam locomotive Number 12, cowboys, Indians, engineers, animals, and loads of rides and live entertainment. They are located on Hwy 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock. For more details, click on the link on the right side of the page. Also, you can call them at 1-800-526-5740, 828-264-9061 or email them at info@tweetsie.com.
|
|
| Town of Banner Elk Park & Downtown Clean-Up Day |
 Date: 4/30 - 4/30
It will start at 10:00 AM. They will be focusing on cleaning up the park and the downtown area and will serve lunch to volunteers. Please call Nancy Owen at the Town Hall at 828-898-5398 or email her at nowen@townofbannerelk.org if you would like to be a volunteer.
|
|
| Sugar Mountain: Opening Day of Hiking & Biking |
 Date: 5/1 - 5/01
click here for website
Hiking and biking trails intertwine throughout the Village of Sugar Mountain. Trail access is free of charge May through October during daylight hours. Trail maps are located in a black, marked mailbox at the base of the Flying Mile slope. Trails are constantly being maintained so please be cautious. Also keep in mind that weather and other variables can change the condition of any trail. While riding a bike within the Village limits helmets are required.
To download the Summer Trailmap, go to the web site.
|
|
| Daniel Boone Native Gardens & Hickory Ridge Homestead - Opening Day |
Date: 5/1 - 5/01
The Daniel Boone Native Gardens opened in 1966 and are located near downtown Boone and are open daily, May 1 through October. Hours are from 10 AM to 6 PM, having extended hours during Horn in the West outdoor drama season. Admission is $2, ages 16 and up. You will find an outstanding collection of native Appalachian trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, and hundreds of plant varieties blooming throughout the growing season.
The three-acre Daniel Boone Native Gardens is spread over 3 acres and were an educational and conservation effort to nurture rare or endangered Appalachian plant species. A project of the Garden Club of N.C., Inc., these public gardens are made up of a bog garden, fern garden, rhododendron grove, rock garden, rock wishing well, vine-covered arbor, pond alongside the historic Squire Boone Cabin, and several grand vistas. The wrought-iron gates at the entrance were made by a descendant of Daniel Boone, who hunted in the area. Group tours can be provided, and the gardens are available for weddings and other events. For more information, call 828-264-6390. The Hickory Ridge Homestead is located on the grounds at “Horn in the West in Boone and is an 18th–century living history museum created in 1980 demonstrating how our mountain ancestors lived. You will step back in the past and learn all about pioneer life and their culture. There are demonstrations in weaving and hearthside cooking as well as many other crafts showing the skills that the early settlers possessed to survive. This is a very educational tour for young and old, and will truly take you back in time. For more information about these or any other programs, e-mail hickoryridgehomestead@hotmail.com.
|
|
| Lees-McRae College: Run For the Fiesta |
 Date: 5/1 - 5/01
Run or walk from the Lees-McRae College William’s Gymnasium through Banner Elk and the Lees-McRae College Campus to Mexicano for free tacos and discounted margaritas. This fun race will utilize roads and the beautiful Banner Elk Greenway trails.
All proceeds will benefit the Carol and Glenn Arthur Student Recreation Complex programming and equipment needs.
Date: Saturday May 1st
Time: 12:30pm start at the Williams Gymnasium (Registration begins at 11:45am)
Fiesta will begin once the participants have reached Mexicano.
$15- Pre-Registration (by April 28th)
$20- Day of Race registration
Registration includes: Sombrero, Raffle Ticket, Free Tacos, Drink Specials and a great time at a fiesta!
Extra raffle tickets may be purchased to have a chance at winning prizes. Prizes include gift certificates to local businesses, an entry into ‘A Cool 5’ race at Beech Mountain, a massage, a private Pilates Reformer Session, and more!
Call for more info: (828) 898-8858
*If you are interested in making a donation, being an event sponsor or providing something for us to raffle, please contact Dani Usedom at usedomdn@lmc.edu or call (828) 898-8858 *
|
|
|
|
