26th Annual Music in the Mountains Folk Festival

The 26th Annual Music in the Mountains Folk Festival takes place indoors at the Burnsville Town Center on Saturday, October 1, 2011 from 5:30 pm and on.

The Festival, "dedicated to the preservation of mountain music and culture," includes a fine collection of traditional performers from all over our mountain region. Traditions represented this year include bluegrass, old time string band, balladry and traditional song, storytelling, and both set dancing and step dancing. Our evening celebration of traditional performers is uncommon in diversity and artistic excellence! With plans going forward we've heard that there may be some great surprise guests too!

Performers this year include Ira Bernstein, a world-renowned step dancer and fiddler; Southern Road, our hot, local bluegrass band; Bobby McMillon, ballad singer and storyteller extraordinaire; Bob "Happy Feet" Aldridge, a fine traditional dancer; Bob Willoughby, a great musician - fiddle tunes and old songs; Suzannah Park and Nathan Morrison, world-class singers of many traditions (including shaped note music) and ETSU's Old-Time String Band, from the only school for traditional music in America. The evening's Master of Ceremonies is Frederick Park, a master storyteller, musician and dance historian.

In-depth information about artists and a schedule may be viewed here.

You'll find a rare evening of entertainment resonating to the old and the new from our traditional performers this year. Not to be missed!

Food and refreshments will be available Tickets are $14 adults, $12 for students and seniors 65+. A $2 discount applies to all advance ticket sales through the Burnsville or Spruce Pine TRAC Galleries now through September 30th.

Questions? Info? Contact TRAC

Phone: 828.682.7215 or 828.765.0520

Email: trac@toeriverarts.org

The Music in the Mountains Folk Music Festival is sponsored by the Toe River Arts Council and, in part, by a Grassroots Art Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency.