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Press Release: The Concert for Hickory Nut Gorge

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The Lake Lure Music Festival and the Lake Lure Community Education Foundation, along with Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure, are proud to present THE CONCERT FOR HICKORY NUT GORGE, Saturday, June 7th, 2025 starting at 2:00pm at the Lake Lure Classical Academy’s Raptor Center!

The Concert for Hickory Nut Gorge

The concert will feature IBMA-nominated Appalachian Road Show, along with Western North Carolina-based artists, Zoe & Cloyd and Anya Hinkle, featuring Billy Cardine.

Festival Producing Artistic Director Chris Dolman stated that, “With the many challenges that the Greater Hickory Nut Gorge and surrounding areas continue to face post Hurricane Helene, we wanted to kick off the coming summer with an event that brings the community together in an afternoon of joyful music. To encourage attendance for all of the community, the Festival, along with several of our long-time sponsors and individual donors, are underwriting our General Admission ticket so that the ticket will be priced at $10. We will also offer a special Supporters Ticket that will include up-front seating and an invitation to our Sponsor After Party.”

In 2024, the Festival from its summer concert was able to donate $20,000 to Lake Lure Classical Academy to help capitalize a new school food program that recently had its ribbon cutting and started serving food to students, along with a $7500 donation to Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach, which was earmarked to assist LLCA children and their families that experience food insecurity. In March 2025, the Festival produced an intimate classical concert at Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure with guitarist Alec Holcomb, that was sold out and helped the Festival recently make further donations both to LLCA and to Outreach.

Dolman added, “We are inspired by all the generosity, hard work and volunteerism that we have witnessed in our community. We’re focused on bringing stellar music and renowned musicians to the area, that we might not usually see here, while making our contribution to vital local organizations.”

Appalachian Road Show is a visionary acoustic ensemble, bringing new-generation interpretations of traditional Americana, bluegrass and folk songs, as well as offering innovative original music, all presented with a common thread tied directly to the heart of the Appalachian regions of the United States. GRAMMY-nominated banjoist Barry Abernathy, joins forces with GRAMMY-winning fiddler Jim VanCleve, fresh off of his recent stint touring with multi-platinum country artist Josh Turner, as well as esteemed vocalist and mandolinist Darrell Webb, who has recorded and toured with Dolly Parton and Rhonda Vincent, among many others. The group also includes 26-year-old  “old soul” guitarist Zeb Snyder, whose fierce and versatile playing recalls Doc Watson and Norman Blake as readily as it does Duane Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

THE CONCERT FOR HICKORY NUT GORGE

When: Saturday, June 7th, 2:00pm – 5:30pm

Where: Lake Lure Classical Academy’s Raptor Center, 1058 Island Creek Road, Lake Lure, NC 28746

Tickets:  Visit  – lakeluremusicfestival.com for link to Eventbrite (on sale Friday, May 2nd)

General Admission: $10

Supporter Ticket/After Party: $50

Parking: Back Parking Lot at Lake Lure Classical Academy

For more information contact:

Chris Dolman – LLMF Producing Artistic Director

Directingman@gmail.com

917-597-9072 

and visit: lakeluremusicfestival.com

Down the Road 2025 Now Available

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Press Release

Annie Fain Barralon, Development Manager for John C. Campbell Folk School

Asheville, North Carolina – April 25, 2025 – Hot Off the Press! The Down the Road magazine for 2025-2026 is now available. The Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina is excited to publish its seventh edition of Down the Road: Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Guide. 

In this issue:

Celebrate John C. Campbell Folk School’s 100th anniversary. 

Learn about Lost Province Center for Cultural Arts and Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center.

Bands featured include Carolina Detour and Town Mountain.

A look back at fundraising efforts for musicians post-Hurricane Helene.

Find music events and festivals occurring across Western North Carolina.

 

Down the Road can be found at welcome centers and venues throughout the region. It can also be read online here: https://issuu.com/smokymountain/docs/down_the_road_2025 

We thank our partner, Smoky Mountain News, for their support of this publication.

P.S. We also encourage you to listen to the Down the Road podcast, which embraces the region’s people, places, and history of traditional music. The podcast airs on WNCW every other Tuesday at approximately 8:50 am. Tune in then and catch up with past episodes at BlueRidgeMusicNC.com. 

About the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area:

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area encompasses 25 counties in Western North Carolina and celebrates the region’s unique natural and cultural heritage. Through partnerships and programs, the BRNHA works to preserve and promote the area’s rich history, traditional crafts, music, and scenic beauty.

Contact:

Bridget Herbig, Communications Manager
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
bridget@blueridgeheritage.com
828-818-5334

Doggett Gap Tiny Music & Heritage Festival Returns to Rare Bird Farm

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Press Release

May 2-3, 2025 | Spring Creek, NC

Rare Bird Cultural Arts is thrilled to announce the Doggett Gap Tiny Music & Heritage Festival, a celebration of roots music, craft, and community at Rare Bird Farm in rural Spring Creek, NC, on Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3, 2025. This intimate, family-friendly gathering showcases a diverse lineup of artists spanning Americana, country, folk, and North Carolina mountain traditions, blending the old with the new in a setting designed to foster connection and creativity.

The 2025 festival lineup features an incredible mix of emerging and established artists, including:

  • Kassi Valazza
  • Chris Acker
  • Mike Gangloff & Kaily Schenker
  • Weirs
  • The Wilder Flower
  • Nicholas Edward Williams
  • Tyler Dodson
  • Shelton Powe

Attendees can also enjoy immersive folklife and craft experiences, with featured artists-at-large leading interactive sessions:

  • Shaped-Note Singing Workshop with Laura Boosinger
  • Be Art Experiential Art with Jane Sleeper
  • Appalachian Dance Lessons with Linda Block

Building on the success of last year’s Fine Tuned Sessions, which was created in collaboration with Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA), Rare Bird Cultural Arts sought to establish this as its signature spring festival. “We wanted to honor both our location and the musical roots of the region by renaming the festival after Doggett Gap, the mountain under which Rare Bird Farm sits, as well as the title of a Bascom Lamar Lunsford song,” said Farrah Hoffmire, Executive Director of Rare Bird Cultural Arts.

Rare Bird’s “tiny festival” model ensures an intimate and low-impact experience, keeping both the land and the community at the heart of the event. “We call them tiny festivals because we want to keep our impact low at Rare Bird Farm and have a max capacity of 150 people. This keeps our connection to the land front and center and allows for an intimate experience for all involved,” said Mitchell Davis, co-owner of Rare Bird Farm.

Supporting the Community and Regional Recovery
This year’s festival is especially important to Rare Bird Cultural Arts and the surrounding community in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which caused significant flooding damage to neighboring towns, including Hot Springs, NC. “In addition to celebrating local music and culture, we’re hoping to encourage visitors to come early for the festival, stay longer in our vacation rentals, and shop locally to help boost the regional economy as our neighbors rebuild,” said Farrah Hoffmire.

Visitors are also invited to participate in Town and Trail Fest on Friday, May 2, where volunteers will work together to clean, restore, and beautify downtown Hot Springs, which was devastated by flood damage. “It’s a great opportunity to help out in the community while enjoying the beautiful landscapes that make this region so special,” Hoffmire added. The volunteer event will take place from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM in downtown Hot Springs.

50% of net proceeds from the Doggett Gap festival will be donated to the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and promoting the heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains through music, craft, and storytelling initiatives.

With its intimate setting, world-class music, and hands-on folklife experiences, Doggett Gap Tiny Music & Heritage Festival promises a weekend of deep connection, creative exploration, and community celebration.

Tickets and more information: Doggett Gap Tiny Music & Heritage Festival

Contact: Farrah Hoffmire
Rare Bird Cultural Arts
farrah@rarebirdfarm.org
www.rarebirdfarm.org

 

Shaped by Sound Catches Up with Alice Gerrard

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Where does the music come from? It’s a question that Alice Gerrard began asking before her music career began.

“My relationship to the music was shaped by the music and by the interest in where the music came from… Who were the people that played this music? What did they do in everyday life? Why did they play this song or that tune?”

She’s been ravenous to learn about traditional music singing, playing, and documenting the lore, history, and people involved, and in 2017 she was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame for her career as an American bluegrass and old-time musician.

Listen to the Shaped by Sound podcast featuring Alice Gerrard. PBS will broadcast her performance on March 13, 2025 at 9:30 pm EST. Learn more about Shaped by Sound and check out the upcoming lineup for the inaugural season.

The 2025 Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame Inductees

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Located in Wilkesboro, NC, at the Wilkes Heritage Museum, the Blue Ridge Hall of Fame highlights artists, groups, and people who have made a lasting impact on the musical heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains, stretching from Georgia to Virginia.

Each year brings a new class of inductees from different musical genres. Some have left behind musical legacies, while others continue to make their mark in music today. This year, several artists featured have been previously included in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area’s Traditional Artist Directory, and we couldn’t be more excited for each artist!

Additional congratulations to other inductees, including:

  • Dock Boggs – Category: Pioneer Artist
  • Gerald Anderson – Category: Luthier
  • The founders of Rounder Records (Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin) – Category: Recording Industry

Thank you to each inductee for carrying forward the musical heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be on March 22, 2025. Visit the Wilkes Heritage Museum website (or in person) for more information on the Hall of Fame and to purchase tickets for this year’s event.

Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Donates $4,000 to Cultural Venues

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On November 14, 2024, we teamed up with White Horse Black Mountain and Unspoken Tradition for a Blue Ridge Music Trails benefit concert.

Through ticket sales and a donation from the Alliance of National Heritage Areas, BRNHA was able to donate $1,000 to several venues that suffered damage from Hurricane Helene:

  • Madison County Arts Council
  • Lost Province Culture Center for Arts (Lansing in Ashe County)
  • Lake Lure Music Festival (Rutherford County)
  • Black Mountain Center for the Arts (Buncombe County)

A special thank you to Carol Black for underwriting the show. And thank you to everyone who helped make the evening a success!

JAM and TAPS Programs: New Year, New Lessons

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As 2025 kicks off, we’ve seen an influx of flyers announcing open registration for the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program and Traditional Arts Programs for Students (TAPS) throughout Western North Carolina. These programs are designed to provide an educational outlet for children interested not only in music but also in the heritage of their Appalachian region. The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area has supported the JAM program several times through grants, understanding the importance of passing down traditional music and knowledge from generation to generation.

For more information about the JAM program and children’s music education in Western North Carolina, check out our Junior Appalachian Musicians page here.

 

“Music education can help spark a child’s imagination or ignite a lifetime of passion.” – Hillary Clinton

 

Blue Ridge Music Trails Benefit featuring Unspoken Tradition – November 14, 2024

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We are over a month out from Hurricane Helene, and it is apparent that musicians and venues need our help now more than ever. The Blue Ridge Music Trails is holding a benefit concert at the White Horse in Black Mountain on November 14, 2024, at 7 p.m.

Headlining the show will be Unspoken Tradition, a chart-topping quintet hailing from Western and Central North Carolina. Their music is influenced by their lives and roots in traditional and new grass music, as is evident in their quality catalog of unique songs.

Unspoken Tradition has also been busy dedicating time and raising money for their home state the past month. We’re excited to have them play this event, bringing more joy to the region and providing hope and levity as we focus on lifting up this region’s fantastic music scene.

Tickets will be available in advance and at the door. This is a pay-what-you-can event. A portion of the proceeds from this event will support the Blue Ridge Music Trails artists, with the other portion going towards charities of White Horse’s choice. Together, we continue to support our communities.

Unspoken Tradition includes:
Audie McGinnis, Guitar & Vocals
Ty Gilpin, Mandolin & Vocals
Tim Gardner, Fiddle & Vocals
Sav Sankaran, Bass & Vocals
Zane McGinnis, Banjo

If you can’t make it to the event but want to help, please consider donating to the Blue Ridge Music Trails.

The Blue Ridge Music Trails of NC is an initiative of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.

The Tale of the Brown Mountain Lights

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The tale of the Brown Mountain Lights is one of many spooky stories floating through Western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

Come, sit for a spell, and hear the history of the mysterious lights on the Down the Road podcast.

ReString Appalachia: Restoring Instruments and Hope to WNC Musicians

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Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and the Blue Ridge Music Trails were recently invited to participate in this amazing program, which provides instruments and support to artists who suffered losses after Hurricane Helene.

ReString Appalachia is an initiative from American Songcatcher, supported by over 150 musicians, instrument makers, nonprofits, festivals, venues, artists, actors and media outlets to get instruments back in the hands of people throughout Appalachia who were affected by Helene.

Click here to learn more about the ReString Appalachia program: https://americansongcatcher.com/restringappalachia/

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