A FREE Daily Visitor Guide for the North Carolina Mountains and 50+ NC Mountain Cities: The 24th Merlefest begins this Thursday!

Monday, April 25, 2011

The 24th Merlefest begins this Thursday!

April 28 - May 1 at the Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro NC Merlefest 2011 will really get your toes tappin'! Zac Brown returns this year along with with over 90 artists performing on 14 stages during the course of the event making MerleFest one of the best entertainment values anywhere.

photo by Jacob Cadill

Ticket purchases can be made online through May1. MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College Endowment Corporation and a celebration of “traditional plus” music. Doc Watson coined this term to describe the unique mix of music found at MerleFest: traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass
and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, country, “plus whatever other styles we
were in the mood to play,” Watson explained.

Throughout the four-day festival the Dance Tent will feature various workshops and dance
instruction with plenty of opportunities for festival attendees to cut loose with some stellar music
performers. Additionally, Mayes Pit-Cohn Auditorium in Thompson Hall at MerleFest is
devoted to a wide variety of workshops and demonstrations on Friday and Saturday, where
world-class performers share their expertise with attendees.

Additional festival activities include: Jam Camp, Pickin’ Place, Open Mic, Songwriters’ Coffeehouse, the Little Pickers Area, Youth Showcases, The Shoppes at MerleFest, Raffle and Silent Auction, Nature Walks and a MerleFest Fan Favorite- the Midnight Jam.

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