Ashe County Arts Council has been a leader in promoting the arts in Ashe County and across the region for 40 years and they are having a downtown street festival in celebration. On Saturday, June 2 the Arts Council will present Forty Fest!
The Arts Council makes its home in downtown West Jefferson at the Ashe Arts Center, the “hub” of the arts in West Jefferson. The Arts Council moved into the 1930’s WPA building in 1993 after renovating the building to include offices, a gallery space and a gallery shop. The Forty Fest celebration will be set up outside around the Ashe Arts Center with music demonstrating artists, historic displays and children’s activities. There will be food trucks set up in the new parking lot across the street from the Arts Center entrance.
Forty Fest will start around 11 a.m. with the Gary Poe Bluegrass and Old-Time Radio Show broadcasted live at the Arts Center with special guests Wayne Henderson and Helen White. Folks are welcome to bring a chair and enjoy the music. Other musical entertainment will include Ashe County High School Pans and Cans Steel Drum Band at noon, Rock Bottom Band will be at 2 p.m. and starting at 3 p.m. the Lucky Strikes Band will finish out the celebration.
During Forty Fest there will be 1 p.m. welcome and a dedication of a new public art piece. The stainless steel sculpture is entitled Brush Up and will be a large artist palette with sculpted ‘brushes”. The piece will be installed in front of the Ashe Arts Center. The Arts Council events, programs, and partnerships will be highlighted during Forty Fest with historic displays, scrapbooks and more.
The Ashe County Arts Council invites everyone to join them in the celebration of forty years of the arts in Ashe County. Forty Fest is free and open to everyone.
The Ashe County Arts Council has come a long way in forty years and they look to the next forty years with excitement and enthusiasm. For more information about the Arts Council, please call 336-846-2787 or visit www.ashecountyarts.org.
You must be logged in to post a comment.