UC Lawn (Rain Location: UC Illusions)
FREE Concert!

• Brent Cobb was born in Ellaville, Georgia, about an hour east of Columbus, in the rural south-central part of the state. Both parents were highly musical, both his father and uncle were songwriters. This led Brent to pick up the guitar at age 12, and begin writing songs at 13. "I was never going to move from Georgia and didn't care to," says Brent. Brent intended to follow in his father's footsteps and stay in Georgia. "I loved being where I was from. I always liked the idea of being the guy who never left and didn't pursue music, but who wrote these cool songs that folks loved down there."

• In 2006, when Brent was 18, some family members gave Dave Cobb a 6 song demo recording of Brent's work.  Dave Cobb produced Shooter Jennings, The Secret Sisters, Jamey Johnson and other artists in Los Angeles, CA. Two days after hearing Brent's song demos, he invited him to come to Los Angeles to make a record. Brent Cobb commuted back and forth at first, then moved to L.A. to complete his 2006 CD No Place Left to Leave.

• Back home after the recording a fellow Georgian took interest in Brent's work. Brent Cobb's band, Mile Marker 5, had opened a number of shows for artist, Luke Bryan. Luke had heard Brent's work, taken an interest in him, and invited him to come to Nashville.   Luke brought Brent to Nashville, put him up at his house, and took him on a tour of booking agencies, publishing companies, and record labels. Brent made the permanent move to Nashville in 2008.

• In 2009, Dave Cobb produced The Oak Ridge Boys CD The Boys Are Back. It included the quartet's version of Brent's ballad "Hold Me Closely." In the meantime, Brent played his songs for Matthew Miller at Carnival Music in Nashville.  Carnival signed him to a songwriting contract in 2009.  By 2011, Brent had made a name for himself as a songwriter with multiple cuts from several major label artists.  As a songwriter, Brent has had cuts from:  Luke Bryan, The Oak Ridge Boys, Little Big Town, Eli Young Band, Miranda Lambert, David Hail, Frankie Ballard, Kellie Pickler, Kenny Chesney, Josh Abbot Band, Whiskey Myers

• In 2012, Brent recorded his self-titled EP and has opened for superstars such as Blake Shelton, Randy Houser, Chris Young, Sarah Evans along with countless others. 

• In March of 2016, Brent’s song, “Down Home” was released as part of the album Southern Family which includes tracks from Jason Isbell, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown, Jamey Johnson, Anderson East, Morgane and Chris Stapleton, Shooter Jennings and more.

WRGC Radio is hosting a radiothon to raise the final $10,000 needed for Charters of Freedom in Jackson County.

The grounds at Mark Watson Park soon will feature a monument with replicas of the nation's most revered documents - the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Jackson County Commissioners voted unanimously to accept a gift from Foundation Forward, Inc., to receive Jackson County's first Charters of Freedom Monument. Foundation Forward is a non-profit organization based in Morganton, N.C., that works to give and install the monuments across the country.

Construction on Jackson County's Charters of Freedom Monument has been delayed due to lack of funds. No taxpayer dollars will be used for the project so the community is invited to rally together to raise the final $10,000 needed for the project.

WRGC Radio in Sylva will host a Radiothon on Friday July 8, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the American Legion Post 104 located on West Main Street. Those who wish to make a donation may call in at 828-586-2221 with donations or drop them off at the American Legion.

Roy Burnette, WRGC's owner and a Marine Corps Veteran, is excited to help bring the Charters of Freedom to Jackson County.

"The Charters of Freedom are the pillars for our nation's liberty and a lot of folks may not have the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. but they can see them here. They will become a cornerstone for our entire Freedom Park we hope to develop in Sylva," he said.

Businessman Vance Patterson, who owns the Patterson Fan Company in Blythewood, and his wife, Mary Jo, founded the non-profit Foundation Forward to give and install monuments in communities as an educational initiative. They realized many people, especially students, may not have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., to see the real documents.

Vance Patterson presented the concept of installing a monument in Jackson County to County Commissioners on March 19, 2015. There are currently three monuments in North Carolina, and in Indiana, Illinois and South Carolina. Foundation Forward plans to install several more monuments across the country in coming months.

Curtis Blanton will present his new book Humdingers at City Lights Bookstore on Friday, July 8th, at 6:30 p.m. James Sellers, the book’s illustrator, will also be in attendance to sign copies. Humdingers tells the stories and tales shared from the people of Western North Carolina.

Blanton and Sellers have been best friends since the 3rd grade and later joined the U.S. Air Force together. Following their retirement, Blanton and Sellers returned to the mountains to make their way through the trails of their ancestors of Western North Carolina. Blanton and Sellers have collaborated on two previous books titledTales from the Porch and Fireside Tales. Blanton is also the author of the novel, My Mountains, My Home. To reserve copies of Humdingersplease call City Lights Bookstore at 828-586-9499.

Shana Smith will visit City Lights Bookstore on Saturday, July 9th at 3 p.m. She will present her book, Meditations for Moms and Dads: 108 Tips for Parents and Caregivers. Her book boldly claims that a thriving meditation practice is not only possible but an absolute must for the parent/householder.  It isn't an empty claim.  Shana is doing it. Her journey is profound, funny, and fabulous.

Shana Smith is a mom, musician, marine biologist, teacher, and writer.  She is an avid and longtime practitioner of Zen and meditation, a decades-long yogi, and a much sought-after kirtan wallah, or devotional chanting leader. She and her family live in Gainesville Florida.

This is for Summer Symposium 2016

The Cashiers Plein Air Festival will take place July 12-16, 2016. The week features a fabulous schedule of events to watch art happen!

Palette Passes are $250 and include all demonstrations, Picnic In the Park, and the Palette to Palate affair at The Village Green Commons. To purchase a Palette Pass or pre-register for the Youth Art Paint, call (828) 743-3434 or email info@villagegreencashiersnc.com.

Daily Passes for artist demonstrations are $50 each day or $20 per demonstration. They will be available for sale at the “Will Call” table in the Wet Room.

The Cashiers Plein Air Festival will take place July 12-16, 2016. The week features a fabulous schedule of events to watch art happen!

Palette Passes are $250 and include all demonstrations, Picnic In the Park, and the Palette to Palate affair at The Village Green Commons. To purchase a Palette Pass or pre-register for the Youth Art Paint, call (828) 743-3434 or email info@villagegreencashiersnc.com.

Daily Passes for artist demonstrations are $50 each day or $20 per demonstration. They will be available for sale at the “Will Call” table in the Wet Room.

UC Lawn (Rain Location: HFR Auditorium)
FREE Concert!

• The Southern Experience Band is the North Carolina based Southern/Country Rock band formed by JT Fitch, Scott Sanders, Ron Humphries, and Jon Humphries (Nikao Wallace replaced Jon Humphries on drums when Jon joined the US Marines).  Their eclectic tastes and desire to be challenged have propelled them to create a fresh and energetic musical experience. The stories told are based on real observations of life in the south. The bands live performances are fun and engaging. The icing on the performance cake is very tight four part harmonies. With an almost 100% call back rate the band has been proven to be an Experience that people want to see again.

• Southern Experience Band has performed from Columbia, SC to Nashville TN. Gigs have included The Art of Sound Music Festival in Shelby, NC, The Fabulous 4th Festival in Columbus NC, The Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, NC for the Extreme Makeover Home Edition Wrap Party, Kings Mountain Fire Department's annual BBQ Festival, and Mill Street Live in Inman SC. They have also played for numerous clubs and private parties including Frat Parties and for the Booze Fighters Motorcycle Club's annual gathering.

• Their self penned song, "Southern Experience" expresses the band's view on what it means to be southern and their audience interactive song, ''Pennies In A Mason Jar", was written from an actual experience that allows one to realize that we can be successful one minute and literally lose everything the next........to live off of those "Pennies In A Mason Jar". Due to these stressful economic times that we live in, we need to evaluate what is important and rely on a more simple way of life.....A way of life where family, community, and hard work stands for something.

$35 General Admission. Call 828-227-2479 for tickets. Tickets will also be available at the door with cash/check payment the night of the performance.

Erika Nickrenz, piano
Sara Parkins, violin
Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello

The most sought after trio in the world, the Grammy nominated Eroica Trio enraptures audiences with flawless technical virtuosity, irresistible enthusiasm and sensual elegance. The three women who make up this celebrated ensemble electrify the concert stage with their passionate performances. The New York Times writes, “There is an edge of the seat intensity to every note they produce".

The Trio won the prestigious Naumburg Award, resulting in a highly successful Lincoln Center debut and has since toured the United States, Europe, Middle East, South America and Asia. While maintaining their demanding concert schedule, the Eroica Trio has released eight critically lauded recordings for Angel/EMI classics Records, garnering them multiple Grammy nominations. The first all female chamber ensemble to reach the top echelon of the field, the women of the Eroica Trio has shattered the age-old gender barrier, leading the vanguard and inspiring many to follow.

The Cashiers Plein Air Festival will take place July 12-16, 2016. The week features a fabulous schedule of events to watch art happen!

Palette Passes are $250 and include all demonstrations, Picnic In the Park, and the Palette to Palate affair at The Village Green Commons. To purchase a Palette Pass or pre-register for the Youth Art Paint, call (828) 743-3434 or email info@villagegreencashiersnc.com.

Daily Passes for artist demonstrations are $50 each day or $20 per demonstration. They will be available for sale at the “Will Call” table in the Wet Room.

The Cashiers Plein Air Festival will take place July 12-16, 2016. The week features a fabulous schedule of events to watch art happen!

Palette Passes are $250 and include all demonstrations, Picnic In the Park, and the Palette to Palate affair at The Village Green Commons. To purchase a Palette Pass or pre-register for the Youth Art Paint, call (828) 743-3434 or email info@villagegreencashiersnc.com.

Daily Passes for artist demonstrations are $50 each day or $20 per demonstration. They will be available for sale at the “Will Call” table in the Wet Room.

Carrie Highley will be presenting her first book and memoir Blue Apple Switchback on Friday, July 15th at 6:30pm at City Lights Bookstore. Follow Carrie through four years of e-mails to Charlie, an older and wiser friend, as she chronicles her transformation from an ideal housewife and mother into an avid road cyclist with a hidden life as a lesbian. The story details her healing bicycle trips as she grapples with the challenges of a clandestine love affair, a divorce, a new career, and parenting her two young sons.

Carrie grew up in the piedmont of North Carolina before moving to the mountains and completing her bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation at Western Carolina University. She now lives in Asheville, being an avid member of her community.

The Cashiers Plein Air Festival will take place July 12-16, 2016. The week features a fabulous schedule of events to watch art happen!

Palette Passes are $250 and include all demonstrations, Picnic In the Park, and the Palette to Palate affair at The Village Green Commons. To purchase a Palette Pass or pre-register for the Youth Art Paint, call (828) 743-3434 or email info@villagegreencashiersnc.com.

Daily Passes for artist demonstrations are $50 each day or $20 per demonstration. They will be available for sale at the “Will Call” table in the Wet Room.

This course is designed to introduce students to the art of blacksmithing. Fundamental techniques will be covered: general shaping/squaring/drawing out, scrolling, twisting, planishing, the relationship between heat and force of striking, etc. Students will make simple decorative pieces (such as wall hooks) while incorporating these techniques in a progressive manner. After the first project is complete, students can choose their next project from various examples provided, reapplying those techniques. Expect to learn about metallurgy, misconceptions associated with the art, and how to develop proper technique.

Students must wear closed toe shoes (preferably leather), long pants and cotton clothing, and should bring a lunch.

This course is designed to introduce students to the art of blacksmithing. Fundamental techniques will be covered: general shaping/squaring/drawing out, scrolling, twisting, planishing, the relationship between heat and force of striking, etc. Students will make simple decorative pieces (such as wall hooks) while incorporating these techniques in a progressive manner. After the first project is complete, students can choose their next project from various examples provided, reapplying those techniques. Expect to learn about metallurgy, misconceptions associated with the art, and how to develop proper technique.

Students must wear closed toe shoes (preferably leather), long pants and cotton clothing, and should bring a lunch.

The purpose of the concert is to bring awareness of the plight of Uganda’s orphans and vulnerable children. The choir has performed before various audiences including ambassadors, ministers, churches, schools and also for the President of Uganda and his First Lady, with great reviews. The choir’s performance is a mix of African traditional music, dance, African acappella, testimonies, and more.   Please call 828-586-2358 for more information.

UC Lawn (Rain Location: HFR Auditorium)
FREE Concert!

• "Based out of Cullowhee, Mangas Colorado blends together Southern Appalachian front porch string music with the sharp edge of cosmopolitan folk and Americana swagger. Their new self-titled sophomore album is the watermark of a trio at a crossroads, one which puts their fate square in their hands as they push ahead, ultimately living up to the hype of their live performances that have made this word-of-mouth ensemble a beloved act in the eyes and ears of Western North Carolina music lovers." --Garret Woodward, Smoky Mountain News

Handball Tournament

National Fingerstyle Guitar champion Richard Smith and his wife Julie Adams will return to Balsam Mountain Inn on Friday, July 22 at 6:00 pm.

Smith, a native of Beckenham, England, now resides in the U.S. He specializes in the fingerstyle guitar tradition of Merle Travis, Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed, and was the 2001 National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion.

Adams, of Dayton, Ohio, was classically trained at the Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Cincinnati Conservatory, has won many competitions and played in a wide variety of musical settings. In 1996, she was selected to perform the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Cincinnati Conservatory Orchestra. Since then, she has performed with orchestras in Chicago, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati and Vero Beach, and has branched extensively into folk music.   For more information please call 828-456-9498.

J.R. Thorton will present his first book,Beautiful Country, at City Lights Bookstore on Friday, July 22nd at 6:30pm. Beautiful Country follows the story of 14-year-old Chase Robertson who is forced to move to Beijing after the death of his older brother. In China, he trains every day with the Beijing junior national tennis team and quickly learns of the cut-throat world of Chinese sport. Chase is caught up in secrets and must fight to protect his bond with his new friend while negotiating the complex rules of a new country.

J.R. Thornton graduated from Harvard in 2014 where he studied History, English and Chinese. As a 14-year- old, he spent a year living in Beijing studying the Chinese language and training with the Beijing junior tennis team. An internationally ranked tennis player as a junior, he later competed for the Harvard men’s team and on the professional circuit.

Handball Tournament

Handball Tournament 

Bayard Wootten was a female pioneer in the field of photography from the early 1900s to 1950s, when men dominated the field.  All 35 photographs in this exhibition are of North Carolina subjects.  On loan through November 23rd from North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, UNC-CH.

UC Lawn (Rain Location: UC Grand Room)
FREE Concert!

• It has been said that the loudest word in the world is your own name. It is who you are, it is how you have been identified to the world and it is a huge part of your self-perception. Place-names can create strong mental images and add building blocks of self-identity that underscore a treasured sense of “where I’m from” or “who I really am.” These powerful feelings of place to which mountain folk cling help define a sense of home shared by those who live there.

• Such is the name Balsam Range to a group of five outstanding acoustic musicians and singers from North Carolina. For their band name, they thoughtfully and respectfully adopted the name of a majestic range of mountains that surround part of their home county of Haywood, NC where the Smokies meet the Blue Ridge, the Balsam Range.

• Adding to an already impressive list of awards and honors, the band received numerous top honors in the 2014 IBMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year. Balsam Range was also honored at Vocal Group of the Year. Buddy Melton was named Male Vocalist of the Year, and Tim Surrett received a Mentor Award.

• The band’s fifth album, Five, made its Billboard Chart debut at #4 and remained on the Billboard chart for an impressive 6 weeks. Additionally, Balsam Range consistently tops radio airplay lists with its history of top singles.

• Balsam Range is comprised of five gifted friends who all hail from Western North Carolina. Tim Surrett delivers entertaining MC work as well as seasoned lead and harmony singing. Tim plays bass and he will occasionally share his talents on the resonator guitar. He charms with spontaneity, wit and professionalism. A stellar fiddler, Buddy Melton is also one of the most gifted tenor voices in Bluegrass and Americana today. His range and tone give Balsam Range its identifying sound. With his envied guitar style, Caleb Smith has been called “one of the top young guns of guitar.” He sings with both power and control, delivering a high energy song or a tender ballad with equal vocal skill. Darren Nicholson is a gifted mandolin player and harmony singer with tremendous enthusiasm for American heritage music. That twinkle in Darren’s eye says it all. He is usually up to something! Grammy Award winner, Marc Pruett brings more than 40 years of entertainment experience to the group. He brilliantly complements the ensemble with the intuitive, traditional three finger style that has made him one music’s most admired banjo players.

• Elements of jazz, country, gospel, swing and old-time music are all infused into the fresh sound of this unique Southern band. It’s five distinct personalities creating one remarkable musical experience. It’s the award-winning Balsam Range.

Dulcimer Concert, free and open to the public

In this course, students will focus on forging a shield boss (raised center) and assembly/construction methods of creating a Viking round shield. Students will have a few different options on how their shield is assembled and finished. Riveting and some leather work will be discussed as well. Students will be able to choose between different sizes, ranging from 26" to 34" in diameter. No prior experience required.    

Students must wear closed toe shoes (preferably leather), long pants, and cotton clothing, and should bring a lunch.

Pre-registration is required.

Are you a Jackson County (NC) resident? If so, tell us at registration and receive a 10% discount on your class!

Bob Mustin returns to City Lights Bookstore to present his new book, Collateral Damage and Stories on Saturday, July 30th, at 3 p.m. The stories in this collection examine the ways we use imagination to set aside human anguish and move on with our lives. Quirky, richly imagined characters populate these stories, inviting readers to measure them against their own lives and to want to read these stories again and again.

Mustin has been an instructor in writing and has served as a mentor. He continues to write and publish novels, short fiction, and nonfiction. 

In this course, students will focus on forging a shield boss (raised center) and assembly/construction methods of creating a Viking round shield. Students will have a few different options on how their shield is assembled and finished. Riveting and some leather work will be discussed as well. Students will be able to choose between different sizes, ranging from 26" to 34" in diameter. No prior experience required.    

Students must wear closed toe shoes (preferably leather), long pants, and cotton clothing, and should bring a lunch.

Pre-registration is required.

Are you a Jackson County (NC) resident? If so, tell us at registration and receive a 10% discount on your class!

The Triple Arts Summer Intensive Show. This is the culmination of 3 weeks of intensive training. This group of young theatre and musical theatre students will perform selections of music, songs and dance.