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Events in Mitchell and Yancey

(and other nearby venues)

Contact ron at events@rlgreene.net to join this list or to post a live performance event. Some of the information in this list has been compiled by Deb Louis.

Thursday, September 10

• Open Jam, 1:00p-3:30p. The Historic Orchard at Altapass, Blue Ridge Pkwy milepost 328.3. 828-765-9531.

• Don Hogan (varied), 2:00p-5:00p. Linville Falls Winery, 9557 Linville Falls Highway Newland.

• JAM (old-time mountain), 6:00p-8:00p. City Drive-In, 670 Oak St, Spruce Pine, 828-765-4480.

• Carolina Mountains Literary Festival: Storyteller Donna Washington, 7:00p-??. Burnsville Town Center. Donna Washington is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed master storyteller, author, and artist-educator who has captivated audiences of all ages for more than 36 years. Renowned for her engaging storytelling, she shares everything from heartfelt and humorous folktales to spine-tingling tales of terror. She has performed at festivals, schools, libraries, theaters, and cultural venues across the globe, including Canada, Peru, Ireland, Argentina, and Hong Kong."

Friday, September 11

• Carolina Mountains Literary Festival. Burnsville. "After last year’s scaled-down gathering, the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival is back in full this September 10–12th. This year’s keynote speaker is Daniel Wallace, author of Big Fish, joining a fantastic lineup of authors for readings and conversations all around town. You can read more about the festival authors at https://cmlitfest.net.

• Classic Highway (60s-80s covers), 1:00p-4:00p. Linville Falls Winery, 9557 Linville Falls Highway Newland.

• Rebecca Porter (country), 6:00p-8:00p. Homeplace Beer Company, 321 West Main Street, Burnsville. 828-536-9068.

• Patty M (originals/varied), 6:00p-8:00p. City Drive-In, 670 Oak St, Spruce Pine, 828-765-4480.

Saturday, September 12

• Toe River Jam, 10:00a-12:30p. Reconciliation House, 20 Academy St, Burnsville. An eclectic jam/song circle that welcomes all skill levels.

• Pigeon River Messengers (folk/bluegrass), 2:00p-4:00p. The Historic Orchard at Altapass, Blue Ridge Pkwy milepost 328.3. 828-765-9531. "The Pigeon River Messengers out of the Blue Ridge Mountains of WNC, play an eclectic blend of traditional folk, bluegrass, and Americana music. Their musical journey began when Lori and Zach met, fell in love, and began writing their own songs and performing them.

"Zach, who is originally from Knoxville and later moved to Nashville, is heavily influenced by a wide range of musical genres. From the high lonesome sounds of Bill Monroe to the funky syncopated rhythms of James Brown, Zach’s musical style reflects a unique blend of old & new. He has played with many Nashville and Asheville-based bands over the past ten years.

"Heiress to the lonesome sound of the Appalachian ballad, folk, and bluegrass tradition, Lori has come into her own style of carrying her family’s unique musical legacy. With a rich musical heritage, her family reigns from the Watauga and Caldwell counties of NC, and Johnson County, TN. Carrying with them the echoes of a 200-year-old dying culture where truth and fiction often collide into a beautiful tapestry of sound. Growing up the old “love” songs were woven into the foundations of her musical career. With her late uncle Bobby Mcmillon and her mother Marina Trivette traveling around the country to perform ballads, Lori was often in tow, quietly picking up on the tunes and stories being told. Her father Douglas Trivette who is also an accomplished guitar player and luthier influenced her love for bluegrass and old time. It’s unknown how far back the ballad singing tradition goes on either side of her family as everyone sings but she is at least a 4th generation Appalachian ballad singer."

• Smokin' Joe Band (retro blues/rockabilly/swing), 2:00p-5:00p. Linville Falls Winery, 9557 Linville Falls Highway Newland.

• Music in the Mountains Festival, 5:00p-??. Homeplace Beer Company, Burnsville. Annual music event sponsored by Toe River Arts [though you'd not know it since they don't have information about it on their website]. This year's performers include Robin Dreyer, Rob Levin, William Ritter, Donna Ray Norton, Sam McKinney, and the Geneva Hall Stompers. Free.

Sunday, September 13

• William Ritter, 2:00p-4:00p. The Historic Orchard at Altapass, Blue Ridge Pkwy milepost 328.3. 828-765-9531. "William plays banjo, fiddle, guitar, and other “string-ed things.” He is particularly interested in old mountain folkways, foodways, humor—eager to swap lies, half-truths, tales, and seeds. William serves as music director for the Happy Valley Fiddlers Convention. William is the founder and owner of Song-to-Seed, which offers programs featuring Appalachian Heirloom Seeds, heirloom songs, and other traditional folkways and foodways."

• The Lucky Strikes (classic rock/swing/R&B/jazz), 2:00p-5:00p. Linville Falls Winery, 9557 Linville Falls Highway Newland.

• Thistle & Thorn (rock/pop), 6:00p-8:00p. City Drive-In, 670 Oak St, Spruce Pine, 828-765-4480.

Tuesday, September 15

• Traditional Irish Session, 6:00p-8:00p. Homeplace Beer Company, 321 West Main Street, Burnsville, 828-536-9068. “Been going since June 2023. We take turns, going around the circle, leading or requesting tunes or sets. Played at the pace of the person leading/requesting. Email eric@celo.dev if you wish to confirm we are in session. https://thesession.org/sessions/8874“

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Early Announcements

▪ Thursday, September 17 – From Maker to Musician: An Evening with Brandon Johnson & William Ritter, 7:00p-8:30p. Owen Gallery, Toe River Arts, 269 Oak Avenue, Spruce Pine. "... a special evening with Brandon Johnson and William Ritter, with handmade Appalachian Box Camera portraits by artist Sam Brown. Johnson, a violin maker and old-time and bluegrass musician, and Ritter, a multi-instrumentalist and ballad singer, are currently featured in the "Making Music in the Valley" exhibition in the Owen Gallery at Toe River Arts. The evening will begin with a walkthrough of the exhibition at 7:00 PM, followed by a concert at 7:15 PM showcasing instruments on display in the exhibition. Brandon and William will perform and share insights into the tradition, community, and craft of instrument making.

"Photographer Sam Brown will be on the patio with his handmade Appalachian Box Camera making 5x7" portraits throughout the evening. Sitting is free and begins at 6pm. Finished portraits can be purchased at the Toe River Arts Gallery on Saturday September 19th. All proceeds will support Toe River Arts."

▪ Friday, September 18 – Community Barn Dance, 6:00p-8:30p. 156 Jackson Town Road, Spruce Pine. "Please come to a Community Barn Dance featuring Jamie Ager, candidate for US Congress. Jamie is a fourth-generation farmer, father, and proud son of western North Carolina.

'BBQ with homemade fixins, music from the Callaway Mountain Rounders, and traditional dances with local callers. No charge but we encourage RSVPs: Jamie4NC.com/barn-dance.

"To contribute food, please call Michael Harrison in Mitchell County (469.877.5476) or Jade Pierce in Yancey County (828.284.3083). And please bring someone to the dance who’s undecided or uninvolved — these swing votes are critical!"

▪ Saturday, September 19 – Two Events, 10:00a-?? Center for Pioneer Life, 134 Joe Young Rd, Burnsville.

"First, there's Harvesting Heritage, 10 am to 3 pm. We have demonstrations and craft sales by a blacksmith, a salt maker, a yarn spinner, a weaver, and a chair caner, among others. We will have LIVE MUSIC ALL DAY, Green Valley Cloggers, Rudy's Bluegrass Revue, Susan Scoggins and Kirk Banner, Spinning Wheel, Susie and Gary Solomon, with dancing by Green Valley Cloggers. Then, at 5:30, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theater will put on a performance of SINGING MARY ballads with singers Judy Rhodes, Susan Pepper, Amanda Hargen, and Maggie Hoffman. You can get your tickets here for the festival, the show, or both."

▪ Saturday, September 19 – 3^rd Annual Pickle Palooza w/ The Tallboys, 2:00p-6:00p. "A celebration of all things pickled and fermented. They’ll have special pickle-themed food and beverage items available all day, a maker’s market, pickle eating contest, lawn games. Then the Tallboys will grace us with high-energy original music loaded with grooves, harmonies & heartfelt lyrics at 7pm. Soil Shine will be there with our trademark sauerkrauts, kimchi, pickles, and elderberry syrup."

▪ Thursday, September 24 – The British Invasion & the American Response, 1964-68, 6:00p-8:00p. Side rooms, Burnsville Town Center. Toe River Music brings one of its popular "themed events" to Burnsville. About a dozen local musicians will be singing songs associated with the "British Invasion" of the mid-sixties, and American songs responding to the challenge. Come out, get your memories stimulated, and sing along. $5 admission.

▪ Thursday, October 8 – David Wiseman & Fred Humphrey, 6:00p-8:00p. Side rooms, Burnsville Town Center. Toe River Music brings you two concerts for the price of one ($5)! Our second Thursday concert features separate performances by singer/songerwriters David Wiseman and Fred Humphrey. Both are talented and experienced songwriters who can touch your brain as well as your heart.

▪ Friday, October 9 – PAW-ty On the Town, 6:30p-??. Burnsville Town Center. Come out and "support our Yancey Humane Society. Dinner with tasty carnivore and vegetarian options, beverages provided by local purveyors, the Gypsy River Band and a Silent Auction with amazing products and services for you and your pets! Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at the Shelter and online using this a link www.yanceyhumanesociety.org

"Through adoptions, free vaccine clinics and, now our low cost spay and neuter hospital, YHS saves countless dogs and cats but also makes it possible for members of our community to care for their pets. Please help and have fun!"

▪ Saturday, October 24 – RiddleFest, Seminar 3:00p, Concert, 7:00p. Burnsville Town Center. "Traditional Voices Group is pleased to announce the lineup for RiddleFest 2026: Old Songs—New Music, which will take place on October 24th at the Burnsville Town Center. The headliner will be Jake Blount, a master of fiddle and banjo who was awarded the prestigious Steve Martin Banjo Prize in 2020 and has twice won the Appalachian String Band Music Festival (better known as Clifftop). William Ritter and his wife Sarah Ogletree will open the evening concert. Together they sing old mountain love songs and play fiddle chestnuts. Blount will lead a free seminar at 3 PM, and the concert will begin at 7. Admission to the concert is $20.

"RiddleFest is produced annually by Traditional Voices Group in honor of Yancey County native son Lesley Riddle, an African American musician who contributed significantly to the shape of early country music through his collaboration with AP Carter and the Carter Family. Together Riddle and Carter traveled throughout the Appalachian Highlands gathering traditional and popular songs which they reworked into a body of music that is considered foundational to American country music. In 2024, Riddle was recognized by Folk Alliance International with their Legacy Award.

"A specialist in the early folk music of Black Americans, Blount is a skilled performer of spirituals, blues and the string band repertoire, which is focused on traditional music of the southeast United States. Blount has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Newport Folk Festival, NPR’s Tiny Desk, and numerous other venues across and beyond the United States. He has presented his scholarly work at museums and universities including the Smithsonian Institution, Berklee College of Music and Yale University. His writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, No Depression, and NPR. His most recent album, The New Faith, is the latest installment of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings’ African American Legacy Series.

"William Ritter and Sarah Ogletree – An accomplished old-time fiddler, ballad singer and musician, Bakersville native William Ritter is a graduate of Mitchell High School, Western Carolina University and Appalachian State University. “I got to know and learn from some really wonderful fiddlers, like Bruce Greene, Trevor Stuart, Alan Jabbour, Ian Moore, and I probably didn’t listen to anything but old-time music for 5 or more years,” Ritter said. Sarah Ogletree was raised in the mountains of Jackson County, NC. She started playing the fiddle when she was eight years old and has been singing in church choirs and at family reunions for as long as she can remember. William and Sarah have been playing music together for over a decade. Specializing in traditional mountain music, they perform at regional festivals and concerts, and for wedding ceremonies, dinner parties, and other celebratory occasions.

"Jake Blount will lead the free seminar – Old Songs, New Voices – beginning at 3 PM. He will talk about his use of historic Black music, some of which he finds scribbled on paper scraps in obscure archives, to make his new music, in a way echoing the song-catching and songwriting activities of Riddle and Carter."

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Opportunities

This space is freely available for local area commercial announcements by individuals or businesses. There must be a direct musical or other performance connection (musical items for sale, music lessons, etc.). Send your announcement to events@rlgreene.net .

For Sale: Kala UBASS-KOA-FS. This is a special Kala bass ukulele; the series was produced to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Ubass. It has a beautiful figured solid koa top and laminate koa back and sides. I bought it directly from Kala as a demo; in fact, it is the very same instrument pictured on the Kala website. Specs are given on the website. Comes with the original Kala gigbag.

When i purchased it, i had Kala replace the standard round wound strings with Kala/Gallistrings flat wound strings, about a $60 value in themselves. (The removed round wounds are included and can be re-installed.) Comes with the Kala gig bag. $350. Ron, 828-688-9047.

For Sale: 2020 Martin 0-18 w/pickup. Recognizing my age and deteriorating voice, i've decided it's time to downsize of my guitar collection. This is a very nice small guitar with the characteristic Martin spruce/mahogany tone. It has a very well repaired small side crack (basically invisible) and a small 1 cm finish ding in the rear body binding. It comes with a passive (i believe K&K pure mini) pickup and the original Martin hard case. Because of the minor body damage (which so far as i can tell, has no effect on the tone), i'm asking only $1700. Ron, 828-688-9047.