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Appalachian hosts Summer Festival for 24th year |
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Monday, 14 July 2008 |
 Ricky Skaggs takes the stage as the opening concert of the Appalachian Summer festival. Photo by James Fay
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by EDWARD SZTUKOWSKI
Intern News Reporter
An Appalachian Summer Festival kicked off late last month, beginning its 24th season.
The summer arts festival began in the early 1980s to reach out to the surrounding community of Boone by sharing resources found at Appalachian State University.
By providing a seasonal arts series hosted by Appalachian State, the town and university hoped to bring visitors to the High Country.
Over the years the festival has grown and evolved into something far more than it was when it started.
“During those early years, the festival was focused primarily on
musical programming,” said Denise R. Ringler, Director of Arts and
Cultural Programs at Appalachian. “Over the years, as the festival
grew, the programming expanded to include other arts disciplines such
as theatre, dance and visual arts.”
This year, for the first time, the festival included a film series.
“Last weekend, we wrapped up the festival’s ‘Wild and Scenic
Environmental Film Festival,’ a first-time offering for the festival,”
Ringler said.
The Office of Arts and Cultural Programs hosts the festival and
provides staff for fundraising, the box office, financial management,
and backstage.
Most of the acts take place in Farthing Auditorium.
“Many of the events are held in Farthing Auditorium, but we also stage
performances in Rosen Concert Hall and Valborg Theatre. There are also
a variety of visual arts exhibitions at the Turchin Center for the
Visual Arts,” Ringler said.
Ringler said although the final concert of the season has been
performed for many years at Kidd Brewer Stadium, construction has made
it necessary to move the concert this year, which will feature the
Charlie Daniels Band, to Holmes Convocation Center.
“We do expect to return to the outdoor format for the 2009 season,” Ringler said.
The festival brings a very diverse crowd to Boone, and attracts many different artists.
“Each year we get approximately 26,000 attendees ranging from local
residents, seasonal residents, and people all across North Carolina and
the southern United States,” Ringler said.
A wide variety of artists come to participate in the festival, including popular artists.
“Coming up next weekend are three great performances, including Doug
Varone and Dancers, folk singer Judy Collins, and the Eastern Festival
Orchestra with guest pianist André Watts,” said Ringler.
Judy Collins, a Grammy-nominated folk artist with over 40 albums, will be performing Saturday.
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