Staff report
The Inter-Mountain
ELKINS, W.Va. — Augusta Heritage Center of Davis & Elkins College ends its four-week summer session with a bang. Through Friday, Old-Time and Vocal Week will continue at Davis & Elkins College campus with an array of spectacular talent for students and locals to enjoy.
(Photo by Brooke Binns)
The week is packed full of opportunities for the public to join in, with dances almost every night, jam sessions, concerts, exhibits, mini-classes and much more. It all leads up to the big Augusta Festival weekend, Friday and Saturday. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.augustaheritagecenter.org or call the Augusta office at 304-637-1209 to request a public events rack card.
For those who want to sample an Augusta class but can’t fit an all-day class into their schedule, evening mini-courses are available from 6-7:15 p.m. through Thursday. Participants may choose from: Flatfooting Basics with Rina Rossi, Fingerstyle Banjo with Clarke Wyatt, Folk Songs & Ballads of West Virginia with Gerry Milnes and Introduction to the Lost Art of Yodeling with John Lilly. To sign up, call the Augusta Office at 304-637-1209.
Audiences are in for a variety of talent as top performers of Old-Time and Vocal Week present two evening concerts, scheduled for today and Thursday. Alice Gerrard, Travis Stuart, Charles Williams, Kate Long and many more will grace the stage. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. in Myles Center for the Arts Harper-McNeeley Auditorium and doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.augustaheritagecenter.org. Square dances with music by Old-Time Week staff and calling by T-Claw will take place in the pavilion following each concert. Admission is included with the purchase of a concert ticket.
On Thursday, a Craft Student Reception featuring exhibits by the craft and folklore classes will take place from 6:15-7:15 p.m. in The Joni and Buck Smith Arts Forum. Light refreshments will be available.
Jam sessions abound on Wednesday, beginning with the weekly Pickin’ in the Park as Augusta students, staff and local old-time, bluegrass and country musicians get together from 6-10 p.m. in Elkins City Park. An old-time week onion jam is set for 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Halliehurst Porch, a vocal student showcase is slated from 8-10 p.m. in Robbins Memorial Chapel, and the evening wraps up with a doo-wop jam in Madden Student Center rotunda starting at 10:30 p.m. All events on Wednesday are free.
The summer sessions end Friday with student showcases from each theme week and an old-time party with a flatfooting contest, all open to the public. Vocal participants will share their talents in Robbins Memorial Chapel, while Old-Time musicians will perform on Halliehurst porch. Both sessions will take place from 3-5 p.m.
The Augusta Festival officially kicks off at 8 p.m. Friday with a square dance featuring A.J. Srubas & Friends playing music with calling by T-Claw and Lou Maiuri.
The Augusta Festival and Juried Craft Fair and the West Virginia Fiddle & Banjo Contest will fill Elkins City Park Saturday. Workshops will be available for people of all ages and will include Highland dancing, whistling, clogging and much more. The festival also will feature a pickin’ tent, craft demonstrations and art activities for kids, all free of charge. That evening, the Augusta Festival Concert featuring Mountain Stage with Larry Groce is set for 7:30 p.m. in Myles Center for the Arts Harper-McNeeley Auditorium. Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and folk icon Tom Paxton and Grammy winning singer-songwriter duo The Don Juans, featuring Don Henry and Jon Vezner, will headline the show.
Rounding out the evening will be performances by Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands, Bill Kirchen, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer and The Early Mays. Tickets are currently available online, at the Augusta Box Office in Jennings Randolph Hall or on the night of the show at the D&E Box Office.
A farewell square dance will follow the concert in the Augusta Dance Pavilion with Bob Smakula and Red Run.
To learn more about the Augusta Heritage Center of Davis & Elkins College summer sessions, register for classes or purchase concert tickets, visit augustaheritagecenter.org, email [email protected] or call 304-637-1209.
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