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Musical lineup announced for April 29 Sylva festival’s traditional music stage
Produced by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, and sponsored by the Downtown Sylva Association, the Founder’s Stage lineup at the Sylva’s Saturday, April 29, Greening Up the Mountains downtown festival will showcase the talents of local musicians.
With entertainment designed to give a sample of the musical diversity of this area, the event will begin with talented young people.
As the day progresses, the Founders Stage will offer music, dance and song in many traditions and will include individual singers and groups.
Fiddler Amanda Stewart, one-half of the award-winning Fiddling Dills Sisters, will entertain during this year’s Saturday, April 29, downtown Sylva Greening Up the Mountains festival. Stewart will also emcee the Founders Stage children’s talent contest.
“Come celebrate spring in the mountains with the talented people of Western North Carolina,” said Amy Garza, Catch the Spirit co-founder.
Located at the east end of Main Street (across from the Sylva Herald), Founders Stage events will get under way at 10:30 a.m. with the annual local children’s talent contest.
Fairview School music teacher and Fiddling Dills Sister Amanda Stewart is coordinator and will serve as emcee. Prizes for the event are donated by Bear Lake Reserve.
Once the talent contest concludes at 1 p.m., a variety of local acts will take the stage, with music continuing until 5 p.m.
Robert Jumper of Cherokee will emcee this portion of the day’s events.
Performances by the Queen Family, which hails from Caney Fork’s Johns Creek community, often include their mother, 92-year-old mountain musical matriarch Mary Jane Queen, second from right. The Queens will perform at 3:50 p.m. on the Founders Stage during the Saturday, April 29, downtown Sylva Greening Up the Mountains festival.
The afternoon schedule includes:
– 1 p.m. The Muses, a three-member, Asheville-based women’s a cappella ensemble. “Soaring close harmonies and a distinctive world beat characterize their arrangements,” Garza said. “The group enjoys the challenge of performing music in many different languages, American gospel and folk numbers.” Members include Gail Forsyth, Natalie Grinnell, and local resident Judy Rhodes. This is the group’s fifth year with Greening Up the Mountains.
– 1:35 p.m. The Bravehearts, a Franklin-based group of Scottish dancers. The Bravehearts are a 4-H group that has been in existence for more than five years and offers traditional Scottish/Irish country dancing.
“North Carolina proudly boasts of having more people of Scottish descent than Scotland does,” said Garza. “The Scotch-Irish settlers have made a deep and long-lasting impact on the history and culture of North Carolina. As an entertaining group, the Bravehearts share with their audience a taste of the Scottish music found in the mountains of North Carolina. This year the group has an Irish dancer with them.” Joe and Claire Suminski lead the Bravehearts.
– 1:55 p.m. The Tsali Manor Square Dancers, old-time square dancers.
“The Cherokee senior citizens of Tsali Manor Senior Citizen’s Center have gathered together to recreate square dancing as it used to be,” Garza said. “Under the direction of Loretta Welch, sixteen energetic dancers (eight couples) will bring back nostalgic rhythm to your feet. Dressed in red and white, the couples will dance to such songs as “Under the Double Eagle” and “Down Yonder.” The Fiddling Dills Sisters and Cullowhee Valley Boys will accompany the Tsali dancers.
– 1:55 p.m. The Fiddling Dills Sisters and the Cullowhee Valley Boys, local mountain folk music.
“With family heritage that goes back generations, the Dills sisters, Amanda and Sharon, have been fiddling most of their lives and have a large community following, not only because they are winners of many awards at the Georgia State Fiddlers Convention and other fiddling contests, but because of their attention to playing for and with their neighbors,” said Garza. “Steeped in Christian love, and backed up by the Cullowhee Valley Boys, Amanda and Sharon stroke their strings and voices in old-time gospel traditional, bluegrass and mountain folk music.”
The Fiddling Dills Sisters have been part of Greening Up the Mountains since its beginnings nine years ago.
– 2:45 p.m. The Bluegrass Five, bluegrass and mountain music.
“This group of local ‘pickers’ are from Webster, Cullowhee Mountain and Franklin and have played together ‘off and on’ for more than 10 years,” Garza said.
The group includes G.C. Collins, fiddle; J.B. Passmore. bass and vocals; Earl Cowart, rhythm guitar; Boyd Dills, mandolin; and J.C. Norris, banjo.
– 3:20 p.m. The Golden Steppers, line dancing.
“From Sylva’s Golden Age Center comes a line-dancing group called the Golden Steppers,” Garza said.
The six-member group, started more than 10 years ago, is led by Susan Rush. Their performance will include “Dance Above the Rainbow,” an Irish jig; “Their Hearts are Dancing,” a waltz; “Old Bones,” and “Carolina in the Morning.” The group’s announcer is Irene Hooper of Cullowhee, president of the Golden Age Center.
– 3:50 p.m. The Queen Family, mountain ballads and folk music.
“Winners of the Mountain Heritage Award given to those who honor and cherish their heritage, the Queen Family has been playing together since they were children,” Garza said. “Many times lead by their mother Mary Jane Queen, The Queen Family represents the ideal of Catch the Spirit of Appalachia’s strong support of saving our local heritage.”
Family members will entertain with banjo, guitars, fiddle and mandolin.
“Mountain music will dance down the street when they take the stage,” Garza said.
– 4:30 p.m. Teresa Eberly, folk singing.
“Teresa Eberly, a theater/English major in college, who will accompany herself on guitar, has been singing since childhood,” Garza said. “Trained in voice since the age of 12, this gifted singer has filled her life with music in church, weddings and theater.”
Eberly currently works for the Oconaluftee Job Corp Center in Cherokee.
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