Every second Friday in the morning at 7 o’clock‚ people gather at the Main Street Music & Loan in North Wilkesboro to see a live musical performance that is also broadcast on WKBC 800AM and 97.3FM. WKBC’s morning show, hosted by Steve Handy, features the WKBC “Hometown Opry” every Friday morning. The Opry features live performances by local, regional, and even national folk and bluegrass musicians. Wilkes County’s location as the site of the annual MerleFest – the largest folk and bluegrass music festival in the nation – has led to the Hometown Opry attracting prominent musicians in folk and bluegrass music.
An array of musicians have played on the live radio show including the Swiss native Kruger Brothers and Coffee Pickers, guitar greats Thom Bresh, Grammy winning Dobro player Tut Taylor, Bob Saxton and Clay Lunsford along with Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry regulars George Hamilton IV and Rhonda Vincent.The Hometown Opry is held every second Friday from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m. at Main Street Music & Loan on Main Street in North Wilkesboro.
