One of the area’s most beloved and authentic cultural traditions, Shindig on the Green presents its annual fundraising concert, an evening of traditional bluegrass and mountain dulcimer music, Saturday, December 1st, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Upper Anderson Auditorium at Montreat Conference Center. The Folk Heritage Committee’s annual fundraiser features headliner David Holt and the Lightning Bolts plus mountain dulcimer virtuoso Don Pedi. The fundraising concert is a key element in securing necessary funding for the free and beloved Shindig on the Green summer Saturday evenings in Asheville.
Headliner – David Holt and the Lightning Bolts: Legendary musician, storyteller and four-time Grammy award winner David Holt performs with his five-piece band the Lightning Bolts, featuring an all-local line-up of instrumental superstars: Laura Boosingeron guitar, Josh Goforth on fiddle, Jeff Hersk on bass, and Byron Hedgepeth on percussion. The wide diversity of ages, styles and dynamic personalities gives David Holt and the Lightning Bolts the spark that keeps their music fresh, fun and fired up.
Don Pedi: For over forty years Don Pedi has amazed and delighted audiences with his unique “Fiddle-Pick” style of playing the dulcimer. Drawing on decades of association with many of the best musicians in the southern mountains, as well as his deep commitment to preserving the old music, Pedi carries on the tradition in an exciting and innovative fashion.
Over 30,000 people attend Shindig on the Green for free throughout the summer. While the crowds of locals and visitors at Shindig have grown over the years for the free evenings, so have the costs. The non-profit Folk Heritage Committee must raise funds to cover the sharply rising costs at Shindig on the Green for goods and services such as security, sound equipment and technicians. The December concert has a $6,000 monetary goal, with all of those funds needed to help cover the “free” Shindig’s very real operating costs, which average several thousand dollars per evening.
The Folk Heritage Committee produces Shindig on the Green and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in order to support the preservation and continuation of the traditional music, dance and storytelling heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Shindig takes place in the heart of downtown Asheville at Pack Square Park’s Roger McGuire Green, on the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Stage. Dedicated to the celebration and preservation of the region’s rich cultural heritage, Shindig on the Green’s 47th summer season in 2013 is scheduled for June 29; July 6, 13, 20; and August 10, 17, 24, and 31.
The Upper Anderson Auditorium: The December 1st fundraiser takes place in the Upper Anderson Auditorium, the 300-seat theatre at the beautiful Montreat Conference Center, 401 Assembly Drive, in Montreat, NC (Exit #64 off of I-40). Parking for the event is located next to the Upper Anderson Auditorium.
Tickets: Adults $20; Children 12 and younger $10; Group Rate (10 or more adults) $15 per person. For tickets, call Folk Heritage Committee member Judy Miller at 828-685-8313, or to reserve tickets e-mail info@folkheritage.org. For more information, visit www.folkheritage.org or call the Folk Heritage Info Line: 828-258-6101 x345.