The Battleaxe Band opens Songcatchers Music Series, July 3

PRESS RELEASE FROM EVENT ORGANIZERS:

The Battleaxe Band from Upstate South Carolina will open the Cradle of Forestry in America’s annual Songcatchers Music Series July 3.

Now in its 14th year, the series is held each Sunday afternoon in July, beginning at 4:00 p.m. It honors traditional mountain music and the talented performers who preserve it, share it, and make it their own. This year’s series is sponsored by Morrow Insurance Agency, Inc. The Songcatchers Music Series is an official event of the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina, http://www.blueridgemusicnc.com/.

The Battleaxe Band presents old time and Americana music that is fun and hard-driving. This all-female string band has been creating their fine old time sound for nearly 10 years. Songs and strong harmony vocals form a large part of their repertoire, with foot-tapping traditional dance tunes in the mix.

Band members are Lucy Allen on guitar, Amy Buckingham on fiddle and guitar, Nancy Hamilton on bass and Brooke Lauer on banjo and fiddle. Each member has been singing and playing music for most of their lives. Visit https://thebattleaxeband.com for more about the band.

Concerts take place in the Cradle’s covered outdoor amphitheater and move indoors if the weather is stormy. The stage show begins with warm-up music at 4:00 by Cindy Neal Carpenter and Emily Anderson Reasoner. The Battleaxe Band plays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Local old-time musicians are often on-site to jam informally at 3:00 p.m. before the concert.

Concert-goers are welcome to arrive early and enjoy indoor and outdoor exhibits, two interpretive trails, and the Giving Tree gift shop. The café is open for lunch. The site, including the amphitheater, is wheelchair accessible.

The series continues with Joe Penland on July 10, Beverly Smith and John Grimm July 17, Laura Boosinger and the Midnight Plowboys July 24, and Sparky and Rhonda Rucker July 31.

Admission for all shows is $6.00 for ages 16 and older; $3.00 for youth 15 and under and America the Beautiful and Golden Age pass holders. Friends of the Cradle annual passes are honored. The Cradle of Forestry is located on Hwy. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest, six miles north of Looking Glass Falls and four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information call 828-877-3130 or go to www.cradleofforestry.com.

Visitors enjoy mountain music at the Cradle as it fits into the late 1800s-early 1900s feel of the historic site. On this land, part of the Biltmore Estate during that time, modern forestry was first practiced and America’s first forestry school prepared students for conservation careers. Now the Cradle of Forestry in America is part of Pisgah National Forest, celebrating its Centennial this year.