By Elly Murray
Daily Tunes will be bringing you live music performances in the High Country area for every day of the week. Get out there and enjoy the cool breezes and relaxing music of summer before it’s over!
Back in Beech Mountain, Fred’s General Mercantile is hosting their Sunday summer concerts at Fred’s Gazebo. Fred’s has been the gathering place for all of Beech Mountain since it opened in 1979, and the legendary store hosts concerts out of the graceful white gazebo next to it.
The gazebo has trimming around the top that looks almost like lace, and the musicians begin to play elegant and inspirational music underneath it at 6:30 p.m. A few patrons here and there sit in the provided chairs, but the majority of the families and locals have brought blankets and chairs to sit on. Kids chase each other through the rows of blankets, trying not to trip on the extended feet, and succeeding—for the most part.
Fred Pfohl, of Fred’s General Mercantile, loves hosting this event and says, “This is something we’ve been doing for about 25 years and it’s a Sunday evening deal where people finish up their weekend activities by coming up and relaxing and sitting out among the trees and the grass and listen to great music. We work real hard to promote the local groups, young people and the musicians of the High Country.”
Beech Mountain is famous for its extremely cool summers—in fact, the temperature rarely gets above 85°—and for their hiking trails and outdoor events. Fred says that, “We often suggest that people bring a sweater or a light jacket because in the evenings it gets a little chilly.”
There’s plenty of free parking, and the staff of Fred’s will be outside, grilling up hotdogs for the event. The food is available for purchase, and includes hotdogs, drinks, and baked goods.
Performing this Sunday is the easy-going bluegrass band, Cane Mill Road. Fred describes this progressive band, saying, “We have a billboard charting bluegrass band from Deep Gap. These are all young men that are really, really talented.”
Next Sunday, the Mountain Home Bluegrass Boys will take the stage. Fred says that, “This is traditional bluegrass music played by award winning musicians, and they’ve been playing with us for probably about 15 years.”
Fred says that they started these events 25 years go as, “a way to thank our customers and our friends, and have a gathering spot for people on the mountain on a Sunday evening.” He went on to say that, “It’s a real nice atmosphere; kids come and people bring their dogs. It’s just a fun time for everybody.”
All of these performances are free of charge, so this is the perfect excuse to check out Beech Mountain, the highest town east of the Mississippi, at an elevation of 5506’.
The schedule for the 2018 Summer Concerts at Fred’s Gazebo is as follows:
July 15: Cane Mill Road
July 22: The Mountain Home Bluegrass Boys
July 29: Strictly Clean and Decent
Aug. 5: Thistle Dew
For more information on Summer Concerts at Fred’s Gazebo, the artists performing, or their music, please visit http://www.fredsgeneral.com/Local%20Events.html
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