36th Celebration of Traditional Music at Berea College Oct. 15-18

The 36th annual Celebration of Traditional Music will be held Oct. 15-18 on the campus of Berea College in Berea, Ky.  The event includes concerts, jam sessions, dancing and more, showcasing homemade music passed on from person to person in the Appalachian region and the musicians who play it.  Old time string band music, blues, traditional gospel singing, ballads and acoustic instruments are all featured in a family-friendly atmosphere.  Admission is free for many events and all are welcome.

This year’s line-up of musicians includes The Horse Flies, a contemporary string band from Ithaca, New York; southern mountain “fiddle-pick” dulcimer player Don Pedi; American folk music duo Sparky and Rhonda Rucker; The Whitetop Mountain Band, a family band from the Virginia mountains; John Haywood of Floyd County who plays both clawhammer and two-finger banjo; and the Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble, a student band led by Al White.  Author, humorist, historian and former Berea College Appalachian Center director Loyal Jones will share his research about the humor that has accompanied folk, country, bluegrass and gospel music during a Friday afternoon symposium.

The weekend kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 15 with a free concert by The Horse Flies beginning at 8 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Auditorium.  Friday, Oct. 16 activities include the Symposium with Loyal Jones at noon in the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center Gallery; Jam Sessions with festival musicians (or start your own!) from 7-9 p.m; and from 9-11 p.m., Contra Dancing with open mic calling and band at 128 N. Broadway in Berea, sponsored by Oh Contraire Dance Association.  Admission to the dance is $2.

Saturday, Oct. 17 begins with an afternoon concert and open mic from 1-3 p.m. in Woods-Penniman Building Commons, followed by an Afternoon Dance in the same location from 3:30 – 5 p.m.  Saturday night’s big Concert of Festival Musicians is scheduled from 7:30 – 10 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Auditorium.  Admission is $5. Sunday morning’s hymn singing will be held at Union Church from 9-10:15 a.m.  All locations are handicap accessible.

For the complete schedule and information on musicians, go to www.berea.edu/ac/ctm. For more information, contact the Appalachian Center office at 859.985.3140 or contact Chad Berry, director, Loyal Jones Appalachian Center, at 859.985.3727.