Mars Hill University events Oct. 2-15

Press release from Mars Hill University:

All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.

Monday, October 2

Minstrel of Appalachia Exhibit Opening
Time: 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Location: Ramsey Center for Regional Studies (Renfro Library building)
This event begins the week-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Lunsford Festival with the opening of a brand new exhibition, “Minstrel of Appalachia: The Life and Legacy of Bascom Lamar Lunsford,” a selection of artifacts and photographs curated from the Ramsey Center’s Southern Appalachian Archives. Folk musician Betty Smith will be presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine during this event.

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Tuesday, October 3

Crossroads Chapel Service
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Broyhill Chapel
Chrystal Cook, MHU adjunct religion professor, will be the guest speaker.

Fiddlers Among the Rhododendron
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Ramsey Center for Regional Studies (Renfro Library building)
Noted Appalachia scholar Dr. David Whisnant will speak about the life of Bascom Lamar Lunsford and the cultural, historical, and political context in which the Rhododendron Festival and Lunsford’s Mountain Dance and Folk Festival were begun.

Zooniversity 101: Taking Care of Dogs and Cats
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Belk Auditorium (Wren Student Union)
Debbie Davis of Friends of Madison County Animals, Nancy Schneiter of Friends to Ferals, and political science professor Heather Hawn (advisor to “Puppy Day”) will lead a roundtable discussion of caring for companion animals, issues involved in animal adoption, and service opportunities for students who want to help dogs and cats.

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Wednesday, October 4

Festivals on Vinyl: Listening Party at Stackhouse
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Stackhouse Restaurant, 37 S. Main St., Mars Hill
We’ll be digging deep into the Southern Appalachian Archives and spinning records from the past 50 years of the Lunsford Festival. Musician extraordinaire Laura Boosinger will be on-hand to talk about the music on the records.

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Thursday, October 5

Swing Your Partner: Old-Time Dance Calls
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Broyhill Chapel
The Bailey Mountain Cloggers will bring to life some of the dance formations and calls Bascom Lamar Lunsford collected and wrote about. Audience participation opportunity, too.

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Friday, October 6

Bascom Lamar Lunsford “Minstrel of Appalachia” Festival Concert
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Moore Auditorium
An evening of traditional music, celebrating 50 years of Western North Carolina’s second oldest folk music festival. Performers include: Jeff Atkins; Bailey Mountain Cloggers; The Buckner Family; Lillian Chase; Cole Mountain; Roger Howell; Midnight Plowboys; Rhiannon & the Relics; Carol Rifkin, Jeanette Queen & Mark Queen; Betty Smith; Gary Spence; and Whitewater Bluegrass Co. Jeff Atkins of the Cole Mountain Cloggers will be presented with the 2017 Bascom Lamar Lunsford Award. Ticketed concert.

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Saturday, October 7

Bascom Lamar Lunsford “Minstrel of Appalachia” Festival Daytime Stage
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Upper Quad (corner of NC 213 and College St.)
The daytime concert is free of charge and will feature traditional regional music, dance, crafts, and the annual Ballad and Story Swap (1.30-3.30pm). Performers include: Bailey Mountain Cloggers, Blue Ridge Heritage Dancers, Bailee Brandon and Jerry Sutton, Carolina Chickpeas, Larry G. Davis, Roger Howell, Garnett Ridge, Lonesome Mountain Ears, Madison County JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) Program, Don Pedi, Joe Penland, and Southern Heritage.
Lunsford Festival runs concurrently with the Mars Hill Heritage Festival, taking place on Main St. and College St. in downtown Mars Hill.

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Sunday, October 8

Joe Anderson Kiosk Unveiling
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Joe Anderson Memorial, Joe Anderson Drive (formerly part of Dormitory Drive, near S. Main St.)
Unveiling of a new kiosk telling the story of Joe Anderson, an enslaved man who was held as collateral for a debt owed by Mars Hill College founders. Part of Founders Week celebration.

Visit to MH Anderson Rosenwald School
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Mt. Olive Drive, Mars Hill
Tour of the Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School in the Long Ridge Community, hosted by school alumni and MHU football coach (and alumnus) Kevin Barnette. A short documentary about Joe Anderson will be screened. Part of Founders Week celebration.

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Tuesday, October 10

Crossroads Chapel Service
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Broyhill Chapel
Founders Day celebration. Student history presentations. Special music by the MHU choir. Speaker: Wayne Higgins, MHU trustee.

Indigenous Peoples Day
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Belk Auditorium (Wren Student Center)
Amy West, president of the Native American Student Association (NASA), and Heather Hawn, political science professor, will discuss the significance of Columbus Day and the grassroots movement to change this to Indigenous Peoples Day celebrating the history and culture of The First Nations. Sponsored by NASA and the Political Science Department.

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Wednesday, October 11

Unveiling of Historic District Sign
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: College Street
Unveiling of new sign detailing the Mars Hill College Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Part of Founders Week celebration.

Unveiling of Historic Building Plaques
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Upper Quad (College Street)
Unveiling of plaques chronicling Spilman Hall, McConnell Hall, and Robinson Infirmary. Part of Founders Week celebration.

Screening of “From Our House to the White House”
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Peterson Conference Center (Blackwell Hall)
Screening of the film “From Our House to the White House,” a documentary about the early history of clogging. Event will include a performance by MHU’s Bailey Mountain Cloggers in their studio in McConnell Hall. Part of Founders Week celebration.

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Thursday, October 12

Wind Symphony Concert
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Moore Auditorium
Fall concert by the MHU Wind Symphony.
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Ongoing:

Artists Kehren Barbour & Leslie Rowland
Exhibit runs through October 27
Weizenblatt Gallery (Moore Fine Arts Building)
Gallery hours are 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.

The Civil War In the Southern Highlands: A Human Perspective
Exhibit runs through March 4, 2018
Rural Heritage Museum
This exhibition presents an account, using rare original letters and newly-discovered documents, of the personal struggles of the people living in Madison County and the Southern Appalachian Mountains during the middle of the 19th century.
Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment.

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Upcoming

Fall Break
October 16 & 17
Fall break for students; most university offices will be open.

Dedication Ceremony for The Steven Hamilton Roberts Kiln Facility
October 20

Dedication Ceremony for the James Thomas Black Box Theatre
October 20

Homecoming
October 21

Faculty Voice Recital featuring Dr. Jennifer Pedersen (soprano) and Cathy Adkins (piano)
October 23

Go, Granny D!
October 24
Currently touring nationwide, actress Barbara Bates Smith and musician Jeff Sebens will present the story of Doris “Granny D” Haddock, who in 2000 at age 90 blazed a 3200-mile trail across America for campaign finance reform, precipitating the passage of the McCain-Feingold Act. She continued her bipartisan reform efforts in nationwide voter registration drives, issuing her final challenge in 2010 at age 100: “Democracy is a running game. You huddle and you go back in. You keep going.”

A Night of Appalachian Ghost Stories
October 26

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest Lecture/Presentation
November 15

Smoke on the Mountain: Sanders Family Christmas
December 14-23
Benefit Christmas show for the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre (SART)

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MHU Lions Home Athletics

Tuesday, October 3
Men’s and Women’s Tennis vs. King, 2 p.m.

Saturday, October 7
Men’s and Women’s Tennis vs. North Greenville, 1 p.m.

Tuesday, October 10
Women’s Soccer vs. Lander, 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer vs. Lander, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, October 13
Women’s Soccer vs. Tusculum, 5 p.m.
Men’s and Women’s Swimming vs. King and Lindsey Wilson, 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer vs. Tusculum, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 14
Football vs. Carson-Newman, 1 p.m.