From a press release:
Bluff Mountain Festival, June 14
Foot-tapping bluegrass and old-time music, a silent auction of beautiful local and regional items, and artists’ market, good food, a beautiful setting, and much more make the Madison County Arts Council’s Bluff Mountain Festival a special community event. This year’s annual festival will be held June 14, 2014 from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. on the grounds of the Hot Springs Resort and Spa in Hot Springs, N.C. Bring your Blanket or lawn chairs for seating in front of the stage shaded by huge magnolias.
The Bluff Mountain Festival is a fundraiser for the Madison County Arts Council. Regional and national performers donate their time to the festival. Many of the performers are fresh from Old Time Week at Mars Hill College, and the festival gives them an opportunity to play for the larger public while in the area. This year’s talent includes master fiddler, Roger Howell, The Green Grass Cloggers, Storyteller, Joe Penland, The Crooked Pine String Band, The Stoney Creek Boys and the popular Ballad Swap featuring centuries old ballads still sung and preserved in Madison County. The hills will be alive all day with sights and sounds from an amazing roster of musicians and dancers!
“This year we are thrilled to have “The Crooked Pine String Band” as our headliner,” said Laura Boosinger. Crooked Pine begin in 1974, a fantasy of college boys who wanted to play music, grow their own food and live in the mountains. Marion Boatwright, Frank McConnell and Craig Bannerman moved to a mountain top cabin in Transylvania County that summer. They raised a garden and played old-time music stepping out occasionally for a gig or a dance. In the years that followed all of the players worked with other bands or pursued solo gigs and raised families. Fast forward to 2013 and the band has re-organized with the addition of Madison County native, Troy Harrison. “Troy is a wonderful musician and adds so much to this stringband. He plays every banjo style, including music he learned from banjo master Obray Ramsey on Obray’s banjo! This band is a piece of living history and we know folks are going to love their performance.”
Artist vendor booths featuring a wide variety of art and craft have been added in recent years and provide a unique shopping opportunity. In keeping with the fundraising theme, most artists will be donating a piece of their work and a portion of their sales to the popular silent auction. Food vendors from local non-profits will sell a selection of home cooked delights, participating in the longtime mission of the festival, which is to be a both catalyst and meeting point for community togetherness, friendship, and support.
“This is a great event,” remarked, Boosinger. “For 19 years now folks have looked forward to a family friendly day of good music and fellowship. We are honored to serve the residents and non-profits of Madison County with the production of this well-loved event.” Last year over 70 volunteers, nearly 50 performers, and more than 100 artists, craftspeople, and local businesses made the festival possible. Behind the scenes volunteers are already hard at work to make the 19th Annual Bluff Mountain Festival a great celebration.
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