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Lineup Announced for 2024 Beech Mountain Summer Concert Series with Five Dates

March 13, 2024 North Carolina’s Beech Mountain Resort has announced the return of its annual outdoor concert series this summer. The series will kick off June 8 with performances by The String Cheese Incident and The Wood Brothers; followed by an extended Party on the Mountain weekend July 19-21 with NEEDTOBREATHE, Dispatch, Greensky Bluegrass, Yola, and Maggie Rose; with Sylvan Esso and Soccer Mommy rounding out the season on August 10.

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Boonerang Kick-Off Event to Feature “Boone’s Got Talent” Show at Appalachian Theatre June 13

March 13, 2024 “There is something in the water.” This phrase has been recycled many times to describe the unusual amount of talented individuals who live in the High Country. Another tongue-in-cheek comment frequently heard boasts, “You can’t throw a rock without hitting a banjo player.” Whether musical, athletic, theatrical, artistic, or simply astonishing, the Boone area abounds with talent, and this year Boonerang Music & Arts Festival kicks off the 2024 festival with an event to showcase some of the area’s best. In collaboration with the Appalachian Theatre and Mountain Home Music, the official Thursday night kick-off event for the 2024 festival will feature the inaugural Boone’s Got Talent showcase at the Appalachian Theatre on June 13.

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MerleFest Shares Stage Schedules for 2024 Event; 36th Annual Festival Takes Place April 25-28 in Wilkesboro

March 12, 2024 MerleFest, presented by Window World, will hold its 36th annual festival April 25-28 on the campus of Wilkes Community College. Today festival organizers announced MerleFest pioneering artist John Cowan will join the already stellar lineup, including appearances by Old Crow Medicine Show, Turnpike Troubadours, The Teskey Brothers, Nickel Creek, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, The Earls of Leicester, and many more. Additionally, the festival is proud to unveil the complete 2024 stage schedules, in conjunction with the release of the updated MerleFest 2024 mobile app (available now for download now on all Apple and Android devices), making it easier than ever to plan your weekend, set reminders for performance times, learn more about each artist, listen to the official MerleFest 2024 Spotify playlist, and much more.

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16 New Acts Join FloydFest 24~Horizon (July 24-28, 2024) Lineup

March 5, 2024 Two important partners to Across-the-Way Productions, Inc. and Blue Cow Arts Foundation, Inc. — Bitchin’ Sauce/Bitchin’ Music Group and The Floyd Country Store/Handmade Music School — announce a total of 16 new acts that will join the lineup of FloydFest 24~Horizon, the latest annual offering of the Southeast’s premier summer outdoor music festival, taking place Wednesday to Sunday, July 24 to 28, 2024, at its new home, FestivalPark, located at 5826 Floyd Highway North in Check, Va.

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Lees-McRae College Summer Theatre Announces Exciting New 2024 Season Featuring Audience Favorites; Tickets Go on Sale Monday, April 1

March 5, 2024 Get ready for another summer of engrossing performances, stunning set design, and inspiring stories with the latest season of Lees-McRae Summer Theatre. The 2024 season of the beloved theatre series is the official kickoff of the college’s 125-year anniversary celebration, and Lees-McRae is bringing back some crowd favorites to commemorate the milestone. This year’s season will feature an all-new variety show and a revival of the beloved local history tale “From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story.”

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App State Gospel Choir Uplifts Campus and Local Community Through Song

February 28, 2024 For nearly 50 years, members of the Gospel Choir at Appalachian State University have been uplifting the campus and local community through song in the Black religious tradition. According to hundreds of its alumni, the choir serves as more than just an elective course for students; it’s a vehicle for cultural expression and a welcoming family that provides a sense of home. Established in 1976 as part of App State’s Black Expo Week, the choir was formed by retired App State Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Willie Fleming ’80 ’84, who was a first-year student at the time, along with his friends and App State alumni Daisy Logan Hoyle ’77 and Daryll Howell ’78. They wanted to help inform the campus community about African American cultural traditions during a strained time in American history, Fleming said.

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No Men, No Boats, No Way You Want to Miss This Show! Feb. 28 to Mar. 2 at Valborg Theatre

February 22, 2024 The Appalachian State University Department of Theatre and Dance proudly presents “Men on Boats,” a thrilling and widely acclaimed work by Jaclyn Backhaus. The cast is comprised of thirteen individuals, spanning across all undergraduate class levels. The production will take place in the Valborg Theatre on campus at 7 p.m. from Feb. 28 to March 2 with a 2 p.m. matinee on March 3, 2024. Student admission is $10, faculty/staff is $15, and adult admission is $17. Tickets are available online through the department website, as well as by phone and in person through the Schaefer Center for the Arts box office.

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Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents SING AND SWING: Our American Songbook at App State’s Schaefer Center on Tuesday, March 5

February 19, 2024 The Schaefer Center Presents series, presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts and Cultural Programs, welcomes Jazz at Lincoln Center’s SING AND SWING: Our American Songbook, Tuesday, March 5 at 7:30pm at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. This celebration of the Great American Songbook and iconic partnerships in jazzfeatures trumpeters, vocalists, and composers Bria Skonberg and Benny Benack III. The North American tour of SING AND SWING: Our American Songbook will reach 45 cities across the United States and Canada, including major markets such as Los Angeles, CA, and Toronto, ON, and smaller but significant destinations such as Irving, TX, Ogden, UT, and Boone, NC.

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MerleFest Announces Initial Lineup for April 25-28, 2024 Festival – Tickets Available

February 13, 2024 MerleFest, presented by Window World, has announced the initial lineup for its 36th annual event, taking place April 25-28, 2024, on the campus of Wilkes Community College. Leading the breadth of can’t-miss performances this year are Grammy-winning rogue-folk ensemble Old Crow Medicine Show (celebrating both their 25th anniversary and nearly 25 years since their MerleFest debut in 2000), Red Dirt stalwarts Turnpike Troubadours, decorated blues-rock duo The Teskey Brothers, and recently reunited bluegrass sensation Nickel Creek. MerleFest favorites Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, The Earls of Leicester, and more are also set to appear. View the initial lineup below. Additional artists are to be announced.

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High Country Humanities Presents ‘From West Africa to Appalachia,’ an Interactive Dance Demonstration Event, on Feb. 15

February 13, 2024 Appalachian State University’s High Country Humanities — with support from North Carolina Humanities — is pleased to present “From West Africa to Appalachia: Expert Insights and Demos with Music and Dance” on Thursday, Feb. 15, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. The event will take place in Rosen Concert Hall in App State’s Broyhill Music Center at 813 Rivers Street in Boone.

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Todd Wright and Friends presents An Evening of Valentines Gems on Wednesday February 14


February 9, 2024 Todd Wright and Friends presents An Evening of Valentines Gems on Wednesday February 14, at the Rosen Concert Hall on the App State campus beginning at 8:00 pm. Todd Wright and Friends have been coming together for this popular event for over three decades. The concert features mainly wonderful classic gems from the American Songbook. The evening also displays the talent of special guests. This season’s guests will feature Appalachian State University’ Mary Gayle Greene McClune on vocals and pianist Chris Rottmayer of University of Wisconsin. Many NC High Country locals keep this annual event on their calendar. The evening will feature Todd Wright on saxophone, Andy Page on guitar, Adam Booker on bass and Rick Dilling on drums. This year’s special guests are Mary Gayle Green McClune on vocals and Chris Rottmayer playing piano and keyboard.

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W.A.M.Y. Community Action Celebrates 60 Years of Fighting Poverty in the High Country

February 9, 2024 W.A.M.Y. Community Action is proud to announce its 60th anniversary of combating poverty and fostering self-sufficiency in the High Country. Over the past six decades, W.A.M.Y. Community Action has dedicated its resources and efforts to uplift individuals and families from poverty, making a significant impact on communities in Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties.

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Contemporary Dance Company Urban Bush Women Celebrates 40 Years with Powerful Legacy + Lineage + Liberation February 16

February 7, 2024 The Schaefer Center Presents series, presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts and Cultural Programs, welcomes contemporary dance company Urban Bush Women, celebrating their 40th anniversary in Legacy + Lineage + Liberation, Friday, Feb. 16 at 7:30pm at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. UBW’s Legacy + Lineage + Liberation celebrates the power of Women(+) in an evening of classic works that transcend genres and amplify the voices of Women(+) of color. These iconic works portray multiple dimensions of life that resonate in this time of reflection around equity and justice, and lift up Black lives in inspiring ways.

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Local Entertainer Kody Norris and Band Claim Coveted  SPBGMA Awards In Nashville

February 6, 2024  The Kody Norris Show has done it again. The energetic, entertaining four-member country/ bluegrass band with local roots swept away some of the music industry’s most coveted awards during the 2024 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass for America held last week at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville. “I feel like I have woken up in a dream, but thankfully it wasn’t,” Norris shared on Monday morning. “Last night has blown us away. We love bluegrass music and everything it stands for. We send a big thank you out to SPBGMA for keeping this event moving forward, the good Lord above, our team, our families and most definitely, our fans.”

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Blowing Rock’s St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church Sponsors Concert in Honor of Black History Month on February 18th

February 6, 2024  The Friends of Music at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church is sponsoring “Wake and Forget, Dream and Remember: A Concert in Honor of Black History Month” on Sunday, February 18 that 6 pm. The concert showcases a broad spectrum of music by black composers from the familiar spiritual Deep River to traditional settings of the Nunc dimmittis by Samuel Coleridge Taylor and Ave Mariaby Nathaniel Dett, as well as lesser-known music by Florence Price, Moses Hogan, and Harry Burleigh.

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Blowing Rock WinterFest Brings Winter Fun January 25 – 28; Run Down of Events Here

January 25, 2024 The 26th Blowing Rock WinterFest event istarts today, featuring a calendar full of seasonal activities. From Thursday, January 25 through Sunday, January 28, everyone is encouraged to join in the celebration. Don’t hibernate- celebrate! “Blowing Rock WinterFest offers unique opportunities to come out and celebrate this exciting season,” says event coordinator, John Goheen. “Of all our events, I think this festival really showcases our town’s hospitality and fun-loving spirit!”

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Tables Still Available for “Jazz at WinterFest” at the Green Park Inn this Friday and Saturday Featuring Local Jazz Great Todd Wright

January 25, 2024  Reservations are still available for an enchanting evening with local jazz great Todd Wright and his quartet for the “Jazz at Winterfest” series this Friday and Saturday nights at the Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock. Admission to Wright’s performances is by dinner reservation in the Hotel’s Chestnut Grill restaurant only. A three course dinner will be served with reservations available beginning at 6:00 pm. There is no additional charge for the live music. The setting will be in the Green Park Inn’s ballroom where there is not a bad seat in the house to enjoy an evening of jazz, food, drink and even dancing.

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Western Piedmont Symphony Performs Epic Choral Masterpiece Carmina Burana to Open the Schaefer Center Presents Spring Season

January 25, 2024  The Schaefer Center Presents series, presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts and Cultural Programs, opens its spring season with the epic cantata Carmina Burana, Carl Orff’s infamous ode to love, drink, and living life to the fullest, Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7:30pm at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. The choral masterpiece will be performed by Hickory’s Western Piedmont Symphony, under the direction of music director Matthew Troy, and will feature the Hayes School of Music’s Appalachian State University Singers and The Appalachian Chorale. Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture opens the concert.

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Local Night Music Series Highlights High Country Favorites on Stage at Appalachian Theatre

January 24, 2024  The Appalachian Theatre and Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music are excited to announce the lineup for their upcoming Local Nights, a series of seven performances that highlight the diverse talent found throughout the High Country. From February through May, the series provides a steady stream of local acts gracing the Doc Watson Stage at the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country.

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Local Jazz Great Todd Wright Reprises “Jazz at WinterFest” at the Green Park Inn Next Friday and Saturday, January 26th and 27th

January 18, 2024 While local jazz great Todd Wright can’t remember the first time that he played the Green Park Inn he has no doubt that the location is one of the finest music venues in the High Country, and on Friday and Saturday, January 26th and 27th, Wright will again headline the “Jazz at WinterFest” Series held at the Green Park Inn during Blowing Rock’s annual WinterFest Weekend. “We’re really looking forward to playing the Green Park again for Jazz at WinterFest 2024”, says Wright.

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Grace Bowers, On-the-Rise Competition Class of 2024 Announced for “FloydFest 24~Horizon” Coming July 24-28 to Floyd, Virginia

January 18, 2024 FLOYD, VA — Rooted in the ethos of FloydFest and Across-the-Way Productions is giving the next generation of up-and-coming performers a stage, a leg-up and an audience. Today’s FIFTH round of artist announcements for FloydFest 24~Horizon fulfills that continuing mission in numerous ways, not least of which is the addition of Grace Bowers, a 17-year-old guitar phenom and band leader. FloydFest 24~Horizon is the latest annual offering of the Southeast’s premier summer outdoor music festival, taking place Wednesday to Sunday, July 24 to 28, 2024, at its new home, FestivalPark, located at 5826 Floyd Highway North in Check, Va

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High Country Humanities Presents Interactive Seminar at App State on Artist Marc Chagall, Jewish Diaspora Paintings on January 25th


January 17, 2024 Appalachian State University’s High Country Humanities — with support from North Carolina Humanities — is pleased to present “Marc Chagall and Shtetl Life: Interactive Public Seminar on Jewish Diaspora Paintings.” The seminar will take place on Thursday, Jan. 25, from 5:45 to 7 p.m. in room 1102 of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at 423 West King St. in Boone. Speakers will include Dr. Lorraine Affourtit, assistant professor of art history and visual culture and gender, women’s and sexuality studies; Dr. Michael Behrent, professor of European and modern French history; Dr. Darci Gardner, associate professor of French and Francophone studies and gender, women’s and sexuality studies; and Dr. Chris Patti, associate professor of communication studies and Judaic, Holocaust and peace studies.

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Maura Shawn Scanlin, Page Brothers Kick Off Mountain Home Music’s 30th Anniversary Season Jan. 19 and 20 at Appalachian Theatre

January 17, 2024 Founded in 1994, Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music this year marks 30 years of celebrating the diverse styles of Appalachian performing arts. Kicking off the 30th anniversary season will be back-to-back shows featuring acclaimed artists and Mountain Home Music alums Maura Shawn Scanlin and the Page Brothers. Purchase tickets for either show or take advantage of a package deal for both performances at apptheatre.org.

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Music Lineup Announced for Third Annual Boonerang Music & Arts Festival on June 14 & 15

January 10, 2024 The Nude Party and Melissa Reaves anchor the 2024 lineup for the Boonerang Music & Arts Festival, taking place Friday and Saturday, June 14 and 15. The third annual street festival and community homecoming features performances on multiple stages throughout downtown Boone. Presented by the Town of Boone and supporting partners, the multi-day event features performances and activities at many downtown locations, an arts and crafts market, silent disco, international festival, dance stage, and kids’ activities

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