Is the arrival of summer like music to your ears? There’s no better way to celebrate warmer days, longer nights and fantastic food than Appalachian summer music and arts festivals. Festivals are held all throughout southern Appalachia as a way of celebrating music, art, food, summer, community and history. From cultural bluegrass festivals to award-winning barbecue festivals, Appalachia has it all. Take a look at the list below and follow the links to your summer festival.

MerleFest

Thursday to Sunday, April 28 to May 1
Wilkesboro, N.C.
www.merlefest.org

Located at the Wilkes Community College campus, MerleFest is set to feature popular musicians including local legend Doc Watson, Red Molly, Freight Hoppers, Casey Driessen, Balsam Range, Town Mountain, Scythian, Lost Bayou Ramblers, The Kruger Brothers, Josh Williams Band, and many more. The festival will feature banjo and guitar contests, midnight jams, nature walks, jam camp and much more!
Parking is free.

Shenandoah Riverside Festival

Friday to Sunday, May 6 to 8
Strasburg, Va.
www.shenandoahriversidefestival.com

A benefit for the environment, EarthKorps presents three days of music and camping, featuring music from the Golden Butter Band, Future, The Vegabonds, The Delta Saints, Pants For Bears, and many more groups. Weekend passes: $40; Day passes $25; kids 15 and under are free!

French Broad River Festival

Friday to Sunday, April 29 to May 1
Hot Springs, N.C.
www.frenchbroadriverfestival.com

Come to the 14th annual French Broad River Festival — a three day music fest featuring live music from Boombox, The Bottle Rockets, Great American Taxi, Sol Driven Train, Snake Oil Medicine Show, Ryan Montbleau Band, and many others! Enjoy shopping at the live auction or at the many arts and crafts vendors.

Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF)

Thursday to Sunday, May 12 to 15
Black Mountain, N.C.
www.theleaf.com

The Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) will be held at Camp Rockmont, in Black Mountain, N.C. LEAF is considered one of the most musically diverse festivals in the region. Each year, the festival is held both during the fall and spring. There are more than 60 performers, as well as a kids’ village for children, handcrafts and poetry.

Ralph Stanley’s Hills of Home Bluegrass Festival

Thursday to Saturday, May 26 to 28
McClure, Va.
www.drralphstanley.com

Features three days of live music from various bands, including Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Blue Highway, Bluegrass Mountaineers, Ralph Stanley II, Dailey & Vincent, and many more! Tickets: $35 for one day; $70 for two days; $100 for three days; children 12 years and under are free!

Fiddler’s Grove Ole Time Fiddlers and Bluegrass Fest

Friday to Sunday, May 27 to 29
Union Grove, N.C.
www.fiddlersgrove.com

This year is the 87th Fiddler’s Grove Bluegrass Festival. The festival features live
performances from various bands, and celebrates the history and culture of bluegrass
music.

Graves Mountain Festival of Music

Thursday to Saturday, June 2 to 4
Syria, Va.
www.gravesmountain.com/bluegrass.htm

This three day festival features live music by Donna Ulisse and the Poor Mountain
Boys, Goldwing Express, Balsam Range, The Boxcars, The Quebe Sisters Band, 

The James King Band, The Larry Stephenson Band, The Grascals, and many more.
Children under age 11 are free with an adult!

ROMP

Thursday to Saturday, June 23 to 25
Owensboro, Ky.
www.bluegrassmuseum.org

Three day music festival featuring live performances from Emmylou Harris, Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thyle, and many more! Three day pass: $55 for students and $70 for adults.

Festival of Bluegrass

Sunday to Tuesday, June 9 to 12
Lexington, Ky.
www.festivalofthebluegrass.com

The 38th annual Festival of the Bluegrass celebrates the heritage of bluegrass music and the culture that flourished and thrived on front porches in the mountains of Appalachia. This Festival brings together not only the most exceptional bluegrass artists in the nation, but also a community of people who admire and treasure bluegrass and each other.

Blue Plum Festival

Friday to Sunday, June 3 to 5
Johnson City, Tenn.
www.blueplum.org

The Blue Plum Festival is an outdoor music and art festival that stretches across seven city blocks in downtown Johnson City, TN. The Blue Plum Festival is held every year on the first weekend in June. Over 80,000 people are expected to attend this free festival this year. Blue Plum Festival offers a variety of food vendors, musicians, artists, and tons of outdoor fun.

Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival

Friday and Saturday, June 10 and 11
Tryon, N.C.
www.blueridgebbqfestival.com

The 18th annual Blue Ridge Barbecue & Music Festival is preparing and expecting to be the best yet. The festival will be complete with a performance by country music artist Chuck Wicks, local craft vendors, the Classic Car Show, the Rubber Ducky River Race, and many more events and activities. Admission is $7, and children under 12 are admitted free of charge! Parking is free.

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

Friday to Sunday, September 16 to 18
Bristol, Va./Tenn.
www.bristolrhythm.com

The 10th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion is a festival that celebrates the roots of Bristol as a country music epicenter. This festival takes place each third weekend in September, and is complete with 22 stages of live music, four outdoor stages, a dance tent and 16 indoor venues. A special free family event takes place on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. The mission of the festival is to celebrate the past, present and future of Appalachia’s culture.

Athens Music & Art Festival

Wednesday to Sunday, June 22 to 26
Athens, Ga.
www.athfest.com

The Athens Music & Arts Festival is a popular event held annually in historic downtown Athens, a town recognized for its thriving music scene. For the past 15 years, AthFest has been used to exhibit the best in regionally and nationally recognized Athens-based talent. This year, around 200 bands and artists will perform on three outdoor stages and in over a dozen of the town’s best music venues. The outdoor stages are for all ages and free of charge. AthFest will also feature a free Artists Market that has about 50 local and regional sculptors, painters, weavers, and other visual artists.

Festival In The Park

Friday to Monday, May 7 to 10
Roanoke, Va.
www.roanokefestival.org

This year’s 43rd annual Festival in the Park will celebrate arts, music and family. The Festival will feature art and food vendors, musicians, a 5/10K run, and much more!

Pigeon Forge Springfest

Friday, March 11 to Tuesday, June 7
Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
www.pigeonforgespringfest.com

Springfest marks the beginning of springtime in the beautiful city of Pigeon Forge and is a celebration packed full of nearly three months of home-spun fun. Some of the events included are: A Mountain Quiltfest, the annual StringTime in the Smokies, The Dolly Parade, The Spring Grand Rod Run and Dollywood’s Festival of Nations. Join the merriment on the Parkway as festive floats, marching bands and local celebrities pass by. Colorful flowers along the Parkway add to the jubilant parade atmosphere.

Bele Chere

Friday to Sunday, July 29 to 31
Asheville, N.C.
www.belecherefestival.com

This year marks the 33rd annual Bele Chere Festival in downtown Asheville. There will be four music stages, two food courts and hundreds of artists for Asheville’s annual street party. More than 300,000 people are expected to take in the sights and sounds of one of the Southeast’s largest free festivals.

Mountains Days Festival

Friday to Sunday, July 22 to 24
Fallentimber, Penn.
www.pennsylvania-mountains-of-attractions.com

Mountains Days Festival is a family friendly, old-fashioned festival at Prince Gallitzin State Park in Fallentimber. The festival includes hayrides, helicopter rides, bonfires and mountain pies, and is located near the beautiful Glendale Lake.

Shindig On The Green

Saturday: July 2, 9, 16, 23, August 12, 20, 27, and September 3
Asheville, N.C.
http://www.folkheritage.org/shindigonthegreen.htm

This free festival series takes place on eight Saturday evenings this summer. Shindig on the Green features a stage show and informal jam sessions around the park. It will be held at the Pack Square Park, formerly known as City County Plaza. Locals and visitors venture downtown from sundown (about 7:00 p.m.) until 10:00 p.m. Concessions will be available. Come appreciate the culture of southern Appalachia by celebrating beautiful music and dance on a summer evening in the North Carolina mountains. The festival will be held on July 2, 9, 16, 23, August 13, 20, 27, and September 3.

Mountain Dance & Folk Festival

Thursday to Saturday, August 4 to 6
Asheville, N.C.
http://www.folkheritage.org/75thannua.htm

The 84th annual Mountain Dance & Folk Festival celebrates the art of mountain dance and folk traditions. This summer’s event will be held August 4-6, beginning at 7 p.m. each evening. It will take place at the Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place in downtown Asheville.

New Study Proposes The Possibility

By Jesse Wood

Is it really feasible to power the entire world with renewable energy by 2030?

According to Mark Jacobson, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, and Mark Delucchi, research scientist at the Institute of Transportation Studies at University of California–Davis, it is.

“Based on our findings there are no technological or economic barriers to converting the entire world to clean energy,” Jacobson said in Science Daily. “It is a question of whether we have the societal and political will.”

Last December, Delucchi and Jacobson co-authored a two-part study in Energy Policy journal outlining a detailed plan to power the entire world with renewable energy produced from the sun, wind and ocean.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, total global power consumed at any given moment is 12.5 trillion watts (terawatts or TW); and in 2030 global power consumption is estimated to increase to 16.9 TW. But if fossil fuel usage and biomass combustion (byproducts of plant and wood matter) were to be eliminated, global power demand would decrease to just 11.5 TW by 2030.

——–
According to Delucchi and Jacobson, the entire world could be powered with the following renewable energy:

3,800,000 5MW wind turbines
49,000 300 MW concentrated solar plants
40,000 300 MW solar PV polar plants
1.7 billion 3 kW rooftop PV systems
5,350 100 MW geothermal power plants
270 new 1300 MW hydroelectric power plants
720,000 0.75 MW wave devices
490,000 1 MW tidal turbines
——–

For Delucchi and Jacobson’s estimates to work, the world needs to power transportation with electricity or hydrogen rather than gasoline, because 80% of energy produced from gasoline is wasted through heat, whereas only 20% is lost through electricity.

According to Delucchi and Jacobson, powering the world through renewable energies by 2030 is a monumental task, but its scale is similar to past government projects.

“This really involves a large-scale transformation,” Jacobson said in the Science Daily. “It would require an effort comparable to the Apollo moon project or construction of the interstate highway system.”

By Rev. Pat Watkins

Culpepper UMC – 15 Nov 2009

Cain was a farmer, rooted in the soil. Farming was his life, his existence, his very being was connected to the earth.

And that is precisely why Cain’s punishment was so hard for him to bear.

Because he killed his brother, God said, “You are cursed from the ground. When you till the ground it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
For Cain, rooted in the earth as a hundred year old oak tree, the punishment was devastating.

Listen to how he responded to God’s sentence! He said to God:

“My punishment is greater than I can bear! Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face.”

Cain’s relationship with the earth was connected to his relationship with God; to lose his relationship with the earth was to be hidden from the very face of God. Now I realize we’re not all like Cain. We don’t see our identity as being so rooted in the earth as Cain did.

But perhaps that’s part of the problem?

Ironically, Cain’s punishment created for him a lifestyle very similar to the one we live today. His punishment was that he would become a fugitive and wander on the earth, with no rootedness to a geographical place.

But isn’t that who we are?

Oftentimes we choose where to live based on our career. Sometimes we have to choose location based on the school systems. When we retire, we might want to go to the coast or the mountains or to Florida where it’s warm all the time. We have no rootedness to any particular spot of land anymore.

We have removed ourselves from God’s creation. We relate to God and to each other, but for the most part we don’t relate to God’s creation anymore. Gone are the days when kids spend more time outside than inside. In one short generation, we’ve lost our connection to God’s creation. Most children have no earthly idea where there food comes from. And most adults don’t know where their electricity comes from or where their gasoline comes from.

How do we recover a good relationship to God’s creation? How do we demonstrate that relationship in the life of the church?

I simply want you to realize that there is a great deal of Biblical evidence to suggest that there really is such a thing as a relationship between you and me and God’s creation. And it is up to you to figure out how to appropriately live out that relationship in your life and in the life of your church.

If our faith as Christians is not informing positions we take and decisions we make; if our faith does not engage us in making the world a better reflection of the Kingdom of God for the sake of the gospel, then we’ve missed half of what it means to be a Christian.

If Cain were here today, I think he’d leave us with this thought. He’d say,
“Stare at a sunrise with your mouth hanging open. Examine an orchid and allow its beauty to take your breath. Stand in the middle of the Redwood Forest Cathedral that God built. Gaze into the heavens, count the stars, and appreciate the vastness of the incredible Universe that God has created. Experience God in all that you see around you. Be filled with God’s fullness, God’s Grace, this day and forever more.”

How Costly is Too Costly?

Before the flood waters had fully receded from Japanese towns shattered by a 9.0 earthquake and 30-foot tsunami, and while firefighters were racing to cool down a category 5 nuclear disaster (still smoldering as we go to press), some in the energy industry were stumbling over themselves to tout the benefits of fossil fuels over nuclear.

Nuclear industry reps stressed the idea that America could construct expensive, new and supposedly “safer” nuclear plants, while coal industry reps took it a step further — suggesting we use more fossil fuels to replace nuclear.

Yet isn’t the over-reliance on both of these sources of energy the root of our problem?

Appalachians are already dealing with devastation from global climate change and toxic waste from energy production: radical flooding, fouled water from coal mining-processing and toxic air emissions from fossil fuel electric plants. Some communities are literally losing their backyards and family farms to mountaintop removal coal mining. Haven’t we already paid too great a price for coal, oil and nuclear energy?

Nuclear energy in the US has only survived for 60-odd years because of enormous subsidies like the Price-Anderson Act of 1957 — legislation that saddles the American taxpayer with ALL expenses over $10 billion dollars for any and all nuclear disasters within our borders.

Using sources of energy like nuclear and fossil fuels will always be inherently dangerous — and the safety of these plants relies on the industry to remaining ever vigilant. Yet time and again we see that cutting corners where safety is concerned is just part of doing business.

This condition was clearly seen in 2002, when the Tokyo Electric Power Company (operator of multiple nuclear power plants, including the damaged Fukushima facility) admitted to falsifying maintenance reports at their plants on “hundreds of occasions” for more than two decades.

In Appalachia, coal giant Massey Energy Co., received the largest civil penalty in EPA history in 2008 — $20 million — for Clean Water Act Violations in Kentucky and West Virginia. Two years later, 29 miners died in Massey’s Upper Big Branch coal mine; disabled safety equipment was later found in the area where the fatal explosion occurred.

Although the nuclear disaster in Japan is what has dominated the news, cleaner technologies — like the offshore wind turbines located less than 200 miles from the epicenter of Japan’s recent earthquake — not only survived the disaster but are “fully operational.”

The renewable energy of planet Earth — solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal — is far greater than all known supplies of coal, oil and nuclear. These technologies not only stem the rising tide of global climate change and environmental pollution, but offer Americans new jobs and economic opportunities for decades to come.

This is especially the case for Appalachia. We, as a nation, just need to green up our act.

By Jesse Wood & Jillian Randel

As consumers, all humans produce a carbon footprint — a measure of our impact on the earth’s resources. Home energy use, transportation, food and goods and services are part of everyday life, but each of these needs leaves their mark on the world’s forests, oceans and air.

There are plenty of easy and relatively inexpensive ways to soften our impact on the environment. A little bit of effort conserves a surprising amount of energy, which, in turn saves money and lowers our carbon footprint.

Transportation

Problem: Gas prices are rising. We continue to grow more dependent on foreign oil and fossil fuels, and are unable to prevent devastating oil spills. Yet, we all have to drive, and unless we live a few blocks away from our destination, it is not always practical to walk or bike to where we need to be.

Solution: Consider a fuel-efficient or alternative fuel vehicle. Carpool and consolidate household trips into town. Visit fueleconomy.gov to track, calculate and compare your vehicles fuel economy.

Bonus Round: If you bought a Hybrid or Diesel, Alternative Fuel, or a Plug-in/Battery Electric Vehicle in 2010, you may be eligible for a federal tax credit:

Hybrid or Diesel – up to $3,400
Alternative Fuel Vehicle – up to 4,000
Plug-in Hybrid or Battery Electric Vehicle – up to $7,500

More Info: afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws.

Food

Problem: According to National Sustainable Agriculture Informational Services, “The vast majority of energy (around 80%) used in the U.S. food system goes to processing, packaging, transporting, storing, and preparing food. Produce in the U.S. travels on average 1,300 – 2,000 miles from farm to consumer.”

Solution: Eat a combination of local, organic and in-season foods. Shop at your farmers market during summers, choose foods with less packaging and try to reduce your meat consumption. Check out localharvest.org/ to find locally grown food near you.

Bonus Round: If you are interested in comparing the amount of carbon your food choices emit, check out eatlowcarbon.org.

Goods and Services

Problem: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in 2009, Americans produced about 243 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste, or about 4.3 pounds of waste per person per day.

Solution: Americans can reduce their consumption in small ways. Replace items only when you really need to. Recycle paper, glass, aluminum, electronics and plastic. Compost food waste for the garden and look for recycled products, particularly those labeled “post-consumer waste.”

Bonus Round: Visit myfootprint.org for an interactive way to track your own ecological footprint.

Appliances

Problem: According to Stephen and Rebekah Hren, authors of The Carbon Free Home, some of the biggest energy wasters are TVs, computers, electric dryers, refrigerators and lighting.

Solution: Using a power strip or motion-activated outlet to regulate appliances can often reduce their power consumption by three-quarters.

Problem: According to the Consumer Energy Center, twenty-year-old refrigerators are among the most inefficient household appliances.

Solution: Look for the Energy Star label, which uses 60% less energy. As electricity prices rise, these appliances will pay for themselves. One of Hren’s favorite carbon-free home solutions is drying clothes the old-fashioned way – on a clothesline.

Bonus Round: Incandescent lights put 95% of their energy into heat and only 5% into lighting. Try Compact Fluorescent bulbs, which are at least 75% more efficient.

The Home

Problem: Homes consume large quantities of energy, and inefficiencies often go unnoticed.

Solution: Weatherization is a simple and cost-effective way to increase your home’s efficiency. Caulking, weather strips and storm windows eliminate drafts during hot and cold temperatures. Consider double-pane windows and make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated.

If you are building a house, check out green design features such as passive solar heating, a rainwater catchment and recycled materials. Also, look for lumber that is sustainably forested.

And if you think solar panels and other renewable systems are right for your home and budget, go for it! There are plenty of tax credits for home owners, who install renewable energy systems in their homes.

Bonus Round: In North Carolina, if you install solar panels or a wind turbine on your land, you are eligible for a 35% state tax credit up to $10,500 per installation. If you install a solar water heating system, you can receive up to $1,400 per installation. On top of that, there are federal incentives available too. Plus, you can sell any excess energy you produce back to the utility grid.

Check out dsireusa.org for federal and state tax incentives for renewable energy systems.

Government Energy Policies At Work

Our world governments have as much, if not more, responsibility for helping to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Although carbon-reducing legislation will likely receive less favor in the new U.S. congress, the current administration has in the past two years (and continues to announce new measures) made efforts to reduce emissions.

Recovery Act Investments in Clean Energy: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included more than $80 billion in the generation of renewable energy sources, expanding manufacturing capacity for clean energy technology, advancing vehicle and fuel technologies and building a bigger, better, smarter electric grid — all while creating new, sustainable jobs.

Appliance Efficiency Standards: The Administration has established more stringent energy efficiency standards for commercial and residential appliances, including microwaves, kitchen ranges, dishwashers, light bulbs and other common appliances.

Leadership in  Sustainability: President Obama signed an Executive Order on Federal Sustainability, committing the Federal Government to lead by example and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by 2020, increase energy efficiency and reduce fleet petroleum consumption.

Efficiency Standards for Cars and Trucks: In May 2009, President Obama announced the first-ever joint fuel economy/greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks. In May 2010, President Obama created the first-ever efficiency and emissions standards for medium and heavy-duty cars and trucks. 

Making Homes More Energy Efficient: Recovery Through Retrofit will eliminate key barriers in the home retrofit industry by providing consumers with access to straightforward information about their home’s energy use, promoting innovative financing options to reduce upfront costs and developing national standards to ensure that workers are qualified and consumers benefit from home retrofits.

Building Resilience at the Community Level

Story by Jillian Randel

Imagine a community where people can respond to economic downturns and fluctuations and availability of food with confidence. This community would be independent and self-sufficient. Members would cultivate, sell and store all their food needs, leaving little to be bartered with the outside world. Imagine a highly functional and effective transition initiative.

What does a town of 65,000 people eat? Where does this food come from and where does it go? Those are the questions Bill Sharple addresses through his State College, Pennsylvania, transition initiative.

“I have established a project to develop an architecture for local economies,” said Sharple. “It’s a process of defining what a self-sufficient community looks like and developing a model for a local economy.”

Participants plant tomatoes in one of the Garden Starter projects in the State College transition initiative, designed for people who want to learn how to grow their own food organically. The focus is on small raised-bed gardens that can be set up almost anywhere. Photo courtesy of Bill Sharple

The Transition Network, started by a community in Totnes, U.K. in 2005, encourages communities to reduce energy consumption, moving away from nonrenewable and carbon-intense energy sources to build local economies and food dependence. The idea has spread like wildfire, inspiring the development of over 350 transition towns worldwide over the past six years.

The State College initiative formally came into existence last spring and has since hosted a series of workshops on local foods, permaculture, rising gas prices and open forums on topics such as food and energy.

The initiative is working with local churches to develop community gardens; they helped plant one garden last year and already have two new garden projects in the works. One church has an acre they use to supply the local food bank, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects are thriving throughout the town.

“We have a group from the School of Living [an organization dedicated to establishing environmentally-sound communities] beginning to look at an incubator model to help people start homesteads for farmers markets or for their own use,” said Sharple. “Incubators encourage economic business opportunities by providing space, training and resources to ‘hatch the eggs’ of businesses and bring them to life.”

Katherine Watt, one of the other founders of the initiative, is working to establish a permanent farmers market to have a building where people can assemble and meet. She also has a blog and monthly column in the local newspaper about sustainability.

“Our goal is to reach self-sufficiency and to get 10 percent of our food grown locally within 10 years,” said Sharple, who estimates that State College currently consumes about one to two percent locally grown food. “You have to find out what works best for you. The bottom line is we have to come up with a higher degree of local self-sufficiency, and we can do that and still live a good life.”

Transition towns have powerfully impacted communities worldwide. What began as one town’s desire to move away from nonrenewable sources of energy has transformed into an entire movement addressing global economic and environmental issues.

To follow the State College blog, visit voicesweb.org.

Other Initiatives In and Near Appalachia

Asheville, N.C.
transitionasheville.ning.com
Berea, Ky.
sustainableberea.org
Staunton/Augusta, Va.
transitionstaunton.org/about
Carrboro/Chapel Hill, N.C.
transitioncch.org
For more general information on transition towns, visit transitionnetwork.org