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Shagging at the Blowing Rock Returns This Saturday for 3rd Year

 

By Gianna Holiday

The Blowing Rock Attraction is hosting its third annual Shagging at the Rock on June 22. This day will be dedicated to the appreciation and enjoyment of a dance known as shagging, a Carolina dance that derivatives from the Jitterbug and the Charleston.

“The dance became highly popular in Southern states such as North and South Carolina as well as parts of Georgia,” said Charlie Sellers, mayor of Blowing Rock and general manager of the Blowing Rock Attraction.

Shagging at the Rock will have four three bands playing, which will include Silk Groove, the Holiday Band and Wayne Euliss as Elvis, in addition to The Tams.

The Blowing Rock Attraction is one of North Carolina’s oldest known travel attractions, and it takes place at 4,000 feet above sea level. The rocky walls of the gorge below it create a flume that forces air to travel up, which is why Ripley’s Believe-It-Or-Not Museum calls it, “The only place in the world where snow falls upside down.”

The first band featured at Shagging at the Rock, Silk Groove, features a number of different singers that came together from other beach bands. Silk Groove has been dubbed an up-and-coming band, who perform a majority of beach music.

Wayne Euliss will be performing as Elvis as the next act, dressed up as the renown King of Rock and Roll and singing to fill the role as well. He is another familiar face as he performed at last year’s Shagging at the Rock and will be now accompanied by the Holiday Band.

The third and final performance, which will hit the stage at 5:30 p.m, will be the Tams. They are a band that features two of the original members from their popular time from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. The band’s name derives from the Tam o’shanter hats they wore on stage while performing primarily R&B, soul, and beach music.

The Blowing Rock Elementary School will be once again be selling soft drinks and water while there will be other food trucks and snacks on the grounds. Guests are permitted to bring their own coolers of food and beverages in addition to lawn chairs, but umbrellas and pets are strictly off-limits.

Gates for this rain-or-shine event open at 8:30 a.m., and the music is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m at The Blowing Rock on Highway 321 South.

Tickets are up for sale on the website with three VIP tents available as well, priced at $750 each. The purchase of a VIP tent will include the tent itself, ten tickets, ten chairs and a private table.

Adult tickets purchased are priced at $40 and tickets for children 12 and under are $10.

For more information, please visit the website at http://www.theblowingrock.com/2018-shagging-at-the-blowing-rock/ or call 828-295-4812.

Pictures from the 2018 Shagging: