June 2015 - In this Issue of The Scenic:
Flat Top Manor - photo by Vicki Dameron

Flat Top Manor at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park will benefit from preservation efforts. Photo by Vicki Dameron
You're invited to help preserve
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park!

Join us for a special benefit reception on August 1 at Lees-McRae College
in Banner Elk and enjoy a performance of the original play, The Denim King

 

Anyone who walks the loop around Bass Lake, rides horseback on the carriage paths, or explores stately Flat Top Manor makes a lasting connection to Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. That is just one of many reasons this special place deserves our care. We are inviting you to join the Foundation for a benefit reception for this historic gem on Saturday, August 1, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk.

 

The event, hosted by Kristen and Janet Cone, marks an exciting time as we undertake a multiyear plan to protect and enhance the estate's historic and cultural value, safeguard the landscape, and impart a deeper understanding of its significance. Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Mark H. Woods and other special guests will share their vision for this treasured place on the National Register of Historic Places. Please join us to celebrate an even brighter future ahead for Moses H. Cone Memorial Park!


Correction: The phone number listed in our mailed edition of The Scenic was incorrect. Please call (866) 308-2773, ext. 245, for tickets. We apologize for the inconvenience.


 

Moses H. Cone Memorial Park Benefit Reception 

When: Saturday, August 1, 5-7 p.m.

Where: Lees-McRae College, Cannon Student Center, 191 Main St., Banner Elk

Tickets: $75, includes premier seating at the matinee (2 p.m.) or evening (7 p.m.) performance of The Denim King.

Contact: For tickets, please call (866) 308-2773, ext. 245.


 

The Denim King

When: August 1-7

Where: Lees-McRae College, Hayes Auditorium, Banner Elk
The reception marks opening night of Lees-McRae College Summer Theatre's performances of The Denim King, written and directed by Janet Speer. This original musical tells the story of Moses and Caesar Cone's success in the textile world.

Tickets: (828) 898-8709, www.lmc.edu/summertheatre
Blackrock Summit TRACK Trail

Kids explore the Blackrock Summit Trail with a ranger at the TRACK Trail grand opening event.
Set out on the newest TRACK Trails for
kid-friendly fun!

Our Kids in Parks program is hiking full steam ahead and recently opened four new trails. Be sure to put these hikes on your summer adventure list.

-Black Rock Summit Trail, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

-Carolina Beach State Park, Carolina Beach, North Carolina

-Mint Springs Valley Park, Crozet, Virginia

-Pilot Mountain State Park, Pinnacle, North Carolina

 

 

Marty Raybon

Marty Raybon and Full Circle play the Blue Ridge Music Center on Saturday, June 27.  













Marty Raybon and other talented musicians
coming to the Blue Ridge Music Center

 

 

Award-winning country music artist Marty Raybon brings his signature voice and talented band, Full Circle, to the Blue Ridge Music Center on Saturday, June 27, at 7 p.m. For 12 years, Raybon was the lead singer of popular country band Shenandoah and also has multiple solo albums. 

 

Opening the evening is Travis Frye & Blue Mountain, a multigenerational bluegrass band that honors the Appalachian roots of the genre while adding a modern twist. With members from both the Carolinas, the band incorporates spirited fiddle and banjo tunes along with modern selections from country, bluegrass, and gospel traditions, as well as original material. The band has performed on historic radio and television shows such as The Merry-Go-Round in Mount Airy, North Carolina, Blue Ridge Backroads in Galax, Virginia, and PBS's Song of the Mountains in Marion, Virginia.

  

 

The Church Sisters

The Church Sisters, July 25

Also coming up:

-The Jeff Little Trio + New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters, July 4

 

-Laurelyn Dossett & Friends +
John Hofmann's AcousticA, July 11

 

-Jeanette & Johnny Williams +
Strictly Strings, July 18

 

-The Church Sisters + Pike City Bluegrass, July 25

 

Also be sure to check out the Banjos: From Africa to the New World exhibit open daily from noon to 4 p.m. through July 13. This exhibit by Bob and Leilani Thornburg traces the development of the banjo from its African roots to the New World. Eventually, banjos were mass-produced in American factories. This collection of 23 instruments, mostly reproductions, spans a period of more than 300 years and illustrates much of the history of this enduring instrument. 

 

For the full schedule, tickets, and season passes, visit www.blueridgemusiccenter.org.


 

 

SAVE THE DATE

We'd love to see you at these upcoming events

 


Joe Wilson Memorial Celebration 

Thursday, June 25, 2 p.m. Jam for Joe, 4 p.m. tributes

Blue Ridge Music CenterJoe Wilson Memorial Event

 

The Blue Ridge Music Center will host a Memorial Celebration and Tribute to the life, work, and legacy of Joe Wilson, one of the visionaries behind the creation of the Music Center, on Thursday, June 25.

 

From his brainstorming sessions with former Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Gary Everhardt on the Music Center to his influential work with the National Council for the Traditional Arts,Wilson's passion for the music of the Blue Ridge Mountains was immeasurable. Wilson was also instrumental in the development of The Blue Ridge Music Trails and The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trails. He was the author of A Guide to the Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail. He dedicated that book to: "The musicians of southwestern Virginia, present, and past, in honor of their joyful keeping of a portion of America's musical tradition and their unfailing hospitality and generosity. Among the lessons they teach is that an art form that is freely given and always shared can be kept forever."

 

The Memorial Celebration will allow Joe's many friends, colleagues, family, and fellow music lovers to say a few words about the incredible and vibrant legacy of traditional and roots music he has left by recounting a time with Wilson and/or playing a song or two in his honor. So bring your instruments and dancing shoes and come join in to remember Joe, a true champion and advocate for Blue Ridge Mountain music.

 

The Blue Ridge Music Center is at 700 Foothills Road, Galax, Virginia, milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

 

 

Blue Ridge Parkway Quarter

Blue Ridge Parkway Quarter Release 
Thursday, June 25, 10 a.m.
Asheville, NC

Be among the first to get the new quarter featuring the Blue Ridge Parkway! Come out to celebrate the official release at 10 a.m., June 25, at Pack Square Park in Asheville, North Carolina. The festivities include a launch ceremony, ranger-led activities, and music from Grammy award-winner David Holt and the Lightning Bolts. Asheville Savings Bank will hold a coin exchange, which will be the first opportunity to purchase the quarters in North Carolina. The coin exchange is cash-only with a one-roll ($10) minimum and 10-roll ($100) maximum. Be sure to stop by the Foundation's booth to say hello and register to win a Parker the Bear bank.

 
Your Support Matters
Join Our Community of Stewards                          

 

As the primary fund-raiser and trusted steward of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Foundation is forever committed to preserving the past, enhancing the present, and safeguarding the future of America's Favorite Journey™. Learn more about joining our Community of Stewards at www.BRPFoundation.org.

Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
717 S. Marshall St., Suite 105B
Winston-Salem, NC 27101-5865
(866) 308-2773

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