Oktoberfest at Sugar Mountain

With the changing of the season from summer to fall comes the wonderful colors of autumn too. What also comes with autumn of course is Oktoberfest! And Sugar Mountain in Boone is a wonderful place to enjoy it!

Oktoberfest at Sugar Mountain Resort from Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10. The festival will be open from 10 am to 5 pm both days. The festival is open for all ages and admission is free. 

No Oktoberfest would be complete without music. From noon until 4pm each day, the Harbour Towne Fest Band with great Bavarian music.

On the ski area grounds, artisans and craftsmen will be selling a variety of their custom made wares. There also will be a wide variety of Bavarian inspired food to eat.

MerleFest 2021


Merlefest 2021 is fast approaching, in fact it’s just next week! So what exactly is MerleFest?

MerleFest is a traditional music festival held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina on the Wilkes Community College Campus.

The lineup this year includes singers and bands such as Mavis Staples, LeAnn Rimes, Balsamm Range, The Waybacks, Tony Emmanuel, and many, many more. 

The festival takes place from September 16-19. 1 day tickets cost between $70-$90 depending on the day. The late night jam, which is the musical event that takes place between 10:30-12:30 nightly, costs $45.

Due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, proof of vaccination or proof of a negative Covid test within the last 72 hours is required to attend MerleFest.

Music on the Lawn in Blowing Rock

Blowing Rock has always been a place of fun and relaxation throughout the seasons but especially in summer. Starting this Friday evening, at the Ragged Gardens Inn, the Music on the Lawn event begins. 
From 5:30 to 8:30, you can enjoy free outdoor concerts at the Ragged Gardens Inn. A wide range of family friendly music will be featured including classic country, blues, bluegrass and more! There will be drinks and food available to purchase and you can bring your own lawn hair to sit back and relax. 

North Carolina Folk Festival

Every September in Greensboro, North Carolina is the annual North Carolina Folk Festival! Traditionally featuring more than 300 performances with continuous performances throughout the 3 day festival. In downtown Greensboro there is a celebration of cultural heritage with lots of local music, handmade crafts, and food. 

Of course, this year is different because of the Coronavirus pandemic. This year the entire festival will be online so no matter where you are, you can enjoy this very fun and free festival.

The festival itself will be from September 11-13. There will be 3 concerts, each 2 hours long over 3 nights. The performances will be pre recorded in iconic Greensboro locations so you still get to learn about its rich cultural history. More information about the event can be found at https://ncfolkfestival.com/virtual-event/

Enjoy MerleFest from Home!

While the coronavirus pandemic has sadly cancelled MerleFest this year, the MerleFest community is putting together a celebration of Doc Watson this coming week online!.

From Monday, May 25 through Friday, May 29 MerleFest will be posting a video of artists playing their favorite Doc Watson song every hour starting at 9am each day. They will be posting the videos on their social media sites on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Some of the artists and bands playing are Chatham County Line on Monday, Bill & The Belles on Wednesday, and The Steel Wheels on Friday.

Their social media links are:

https://twitter.com/MerleFest

https://instagram.com/merlefest?igshid=hwzt95t358bu

Retro 80’s weekend coming to Beech Mountain

Starting on February 20th and through the weekend, is Retro 80’s weekend at Beech Mountain. The main event throughout all the days is retro skiing on the mountain with 80’s ski apparel. There are also many other activities throughout the weekend. A few highlights are below.

At night on Thursday the 20th, to start it off is a kick-off band and 80’s prom at Frazier’s Tavern and Grill. This runs from 9-11pm.

On Friday, the events kick off at 3:45pm at the top of the summit with an 80’s ski apparel parade. From 6:30-8pm there is cosmic sledding for kids 12 and under at the Beech Mountain town hall. At the Beech Mountain Brewing Co. Taproom and Grill at 8pm is live music with the band Same As it Ever Was.

Events start earlier on Saturday. From 9-10:30am is a pancake breakfast at the Buckeye Recreation Center. At 5-7pm is an 80’a Kids Karaoke and Apparel contest at Brick Oven.

Sunday does not have any specific events planned however the skiing in 80s apparel will still be going on.

These and many more events make for the 80s retro weekend a very exciting event to look forward to.