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Celebrate 100 Years of the Park Service with Steep Canyon Rangers in Galax on Aug. 29

It’s time to kick off the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary!

The Blue Ridge Parkway, Blue Ridge Music Center and Parkway partner organizations will host the 2016 festivities on Saturday, August 29 at the music center in Galax, Virginia (approximately 70 miles from Boone) with a partner showcase, reception, and an evening performance by the Steep Canyon Rangers.

Steep Canyon Rangers
Steep Canyon Rangers

The special event begins at 1 p.m., when visitors can talk with the multiple groups that support the mission of the Blue Ridge Parkway through volunteer efforts, fund-raising, cultural enrichment, land protection, and additional contributions. Participating partners are the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, Blue Ridge Parkway Association, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Conservation Trust for North Carolina, Eastern National, and Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

At 5 p.m., the Blue Ridge Music Center will host a Taste of the Mountains reception at the Luthier Shop, featuring bites from local restaurants Bogey’s, Scoots, and Galax Smokehouse, beer from Creek Bottom Brews, and wine.

Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Mark Woods will highlight the National Park Service’s Centennial with pre-concert remarks. The concert at 7 p.m. welcomes the Grammy-winning Steep Canyon Rangers back to the amphitheater to celebratethe launch of their latest album Radio. Concertgoers are invited to bring lawn chairs and settle in for a performance by this beloved group from Brevard, North Carolina. The Mountain Park Old Time Band opens the show.

Additional highlights:

-The Midday Mountain Music performance from noon to 4 p.m. will feature members of the Wolfe Brothers String Band. These free, informal music sessions feature regional musicians daily on the breezeway at the Music Center.

-The National Park Service will offer Junior Ranger activity sheets for kids and more information about Centennial happenings in 2016.

-Eastern National will welcome musician and instrument maker David English of Black Owl Guitars to discuss the history of handmade instruments and demonstrate his own creations made from recycled materials, including cookie tin banjos and cigar box dulcimers.

Centennial Celebration
August 29, 2015
Blue Ridge Music Center, milepost 213-Blue Ridge Parkway

700 Foothills Road, Galax, Virginia

Noon to 4 p.m.: Midday Mountain Music

1 to 7 p.m.: Centennial Celebration Partner Showcase

5 to 7 p.m.: Taste of the Mountains Reception

7 p.m.: Concert with the Steep Canyon Rangers and Mountain Park Old Time Band

The Centennial Partner Showcase and Midday Mountain Music performance are free. Tickets for the Taste of the Mountains reception are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the event, $10 for Music Center members. Tickets for the Steep Canyon Rangers concert are $20. For tickets, please call (866) 308-2773, ext. 245, or visit www.blueridgemusiccenter.org. Reception tickets are limited and only available by phone in advance or at the gate the day of the event while supplies last.

Blue Ridge Music Center

The Blue Ridge Music Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October. It features the award-winning, interactive Roots of American Music exhibit and Midday Mountain Music performances by local and regional musicians, hosted daily from noon to 4 p.m. Both activities are free. Visitors are also invited to trek the trails on the grounds. The Fisher Peak Loop Trail is a moderate 2.25-mile hike and the High Meadow Trail is an easy, family-friendly 1.35-mile jaunt (one way) in and along the edge of the woods. High Meadow is also a Kids in Parks TRACK Trail which features brochures with fun educational activities for children and families.

The Blue Ridge Music Center is one of the major attractions along the Blue Ridge Parkway and includes a state-of-the-art performing arts facility built to preserve and promote the historic music of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Blue Ridge region has produced more old-time and bluegrass musicians per capita than any other region and serves as the epicenter of many of America’s living music traditions. The Music Center is operated by the National Park Service, and the programming is coordinated through a partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The Blue Ridge Music Center is a major venue of The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail and a partner venue of the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina.www.BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org

Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior, is the primary private fundraising organization for the Blue Ridge Parkway. As the trusted steward of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Foundation is forever committed to preserving the past, enhancing the present, and safeguarding the future of America’s Favorite Journey®. www.brpfoundation.org