Music to remember on the cool banks of Cove Creek in Sugar Grove North Carolina, preserving our mountain musical heritage and celebrating the diversity it has inspired!
The 10th Annual Musicfest 'N Sugar Grove NC on both July 13 & 14 will feature Steep Canyon Rangers, The Jim Lauderdale Band, and Kruger Brothers. Joining them either Friday or Saturday will be Lost Ridge Band, Andy Owens and 1/800-Bluegrass, Shannon Whitworth Band, Cockman Family, BackPorch Bluegrass, Amantha Mill, Watauga Mountain Boys, and other regional favorites. You won't want to miss it!
MusicFest 'N Sugar Grove NC, an event that is held each year at the Historic Cove Creek High School grounds is sponsored annually by Cove Creek Preservation and Development (CCP&D), a non-profit organization formed by concerned citizens to "save the old high school".
The rock building on the banks of Cove Creek was built by local citizens as one of the last WPA projects in the 1940's, under the FDR administration's "Second New Deal" - a massive employment relief effort established after The Great Depression of the 1930's.
The rocks for the school were "harvested" from a nearby farm, with the mortar mixed from sand from the creek. The former Cove Creek High School/Elementary School had been replaced by new schools and the old building was at risk of ruin. CCP&D was formed and had the site designated "Historic" and began renovations to restore the building to its original condition. The old cafeteria has recently been completed to serve as the "Red Raider Community Room", restored down to the old brick tile floors.
Not only has CCP&D preserved and developed this old school, but in doing so, our annual fundraiser, MusicFest 'N Sugar Grove, has served to preserve our mountain musical heritage and celebrate the diversity it has inspired. "Cove Creek", as our community is known, has been a place for local and regional musicians to gather and share their talents with one another for many decades. MusicFest allows that opportunity to continue.
The beautiful rock building now houses three non-profit entities: the Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine, the Doc and Merle Watson Folk Art Museum, and Sugar Grove Developmental Day School.
MusicFest is our annual fundraiser for continued restoration. Proceeds from the festival also benefit the Doc and Rosa Lee Watson Scholarship Fund awarded annually to an ASU student majoring in Sustainable Development.
The community has worked hard to not only preserve this historic site, but a part of our heritage as well. Numerous volunteers have given incredible amounts of time to making our community one to be proud of for all its citizens. The JAM on Friday night will be hosted by Steep Canyon Rangers and on Saturday night by the Kruger Brothers. You won't want to miss this magical musical celebration under the BIG tent on the banks of Cove Creek!
All Music Lovers in Sugar Grove, NC on July 13 and 14, 2007 to celebrate our 10th anniversary with some fabulous, kickin' music under the BIG tent! Rain or Shine!
Music starts Friday at 2 pm and ends around 11 pm with the MusicFest Jam hosted by Steep Canyon Rangers.
We start up again on Saturday at 10 am and complete the festival around 11 pm with the jam hosted by the Kruger Brothers.
Workshops in guitar, banjo, mandolin, and bass will be held indoors on Friday and Saturday, with a Songwriting workshop with Jim Lauderdale on Saturday.The Songwriters' Showcase will be hosted by Andy Owens (former IBMA chair) on Saturday from 3pm to 6 pm.For more information visit www.covecreek.net.
For tickets visit www.musicfestnsugargrove.org.
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SOUTHERN EXPOSURE'S SOLAR STAGE, sponsored by High Country Press, will provide a second venue for music during the festival on Saturday, July 14 with a children's program from 10 am until 12 noon. Some exciting special guests will perform on Saturday afternoon with the SOLAR PA SYSTEM! There will be time for jamming under the Solar tent in the afternoon as well...
The many talented artists who have shared their music with us over the past 10 years, preserving our heritage and celebrating the diversity it has inspired, including:
Doc Watson, T. Michael Coleman, Richard Watson, Moondi Klein, Charles Welch, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kruger Brothers, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Sam Bush Band, Steep Canyon Rangers, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Amazing Rhythm Aces, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, Old School Freight Train, Red Stick Ramblers, The Biscuit Burners, Alternate Roots, Fescue, Lost Ridge Band, ETSU Bluegrass, VW Boys, Mel Jones & Bag 'O Bones, Wolfe Brothers String Band, Lazybirds, Patrick Fitzsimons... and many, many more...
Thank you for growing with us!