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New River State Park promises a superb backdrop for the American
Heritage River Day Festival Saturday, June 7 at the U.S. 221 access
of the state park.
There will be artisans and crafters on hand to demonstrate their
skills and sell their wares. Park Rangers will be leading hikes
and giving programs throughout the day. Appalachian State University
professors will be sharing their knowledge as well. And of course
there will be music.
Some of the region's most well known musicians will be celebrating
the New River in the ways they know best: with picking and singing.
Scheduled to appear are the talented groups Wayne Henderson and
Helen White, Rock Bottom, and Amantha Mill.
Rock Bottom is a band that has been together for more than a decade,
so they are well polished musicians with a wide repertoire of
Bluegrass favorites. They are not only extremely talented players,
but they are also entertaining comedians as well. The crowd is
always involved in the show and is definitely never disappointed.
With an emphasis on vocal harmonies, the band plays a variety
of old standards, progressive bluegrass, bluegrass gospel and
original material. Rock Bottom members are Mack Powers, Butch
Barker, Dale Roten and John Roten.
Amantha Mill is a community oriented folk and bluegrass band with
members who are seasoned veterans of the High Country music scene.
They derive their name from the small mill community of Amantha,
NC. Although the mill washed way many years ago in a flood, parts
of the footing can still be seen when driving through Cove Creek.
Just as the mill provided a rich history to the region, the group
aims to keep the rich musical heritage of days gone by alive and
well today. Amantha Mill is Rebecca Eggers-Gryder, Bill Helms,
Randy Pasley, and John Cockman.
Wayne Henderson and Helen White have also been playing together
for more than a decade. Henderson's style of finger-picking is
unmatched. In addition to his reputation as a guitarist, Henderson
is a luthier of great renown. He is a recipient of a 1995 National
Heritage Award presented by the National Endowment for the Arts.
He has played at locations around the globe, including Carnegie
Hall and the White House.
Helen White plays fiddle and sings fine vocals, one talent Henderson
does not share. She is the song bird of the group. White was instrumental
in the forming of Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM), an organization
that introduces children to the traditional music of Appalachia
and seeks to preserve it for future generations.
American Heritage River Day is sponsored by New River Community
Partners (NRCP). NRCP is celebrating the tenth anniversary of
the American Heritage Rivers Initiative, which was signed into
legislation by the President of the United States at a ceremony
in Ashe County, NC in 1998. The goal of the initiative is to help
communities alongside designated rivers to revitalize their waterfronts
and clean up pollution in the rivers-protecting the environment
at the same time as growing the economy.
Many citizens groups and organizations help in the protection
of the New River. The goal of NRCP differs from the goals of all
others in that they seek protection of the entire watershed. Not
only does that include the communities along the 337 miles the
river travels, but it also covers 7,000 square miles of land within
the watershed.
Similar events will be held on June 14 at Ingles Farm in Radford,
Va. along with Radford Heritage Days and on June 21 in historic
downtown Hinton, W.Va in conjunction with West Virginia Days.
For more information on the American Heritage River Day festival,
NRCP or the American Heritage Rivers Initiative, visit www.nrcp-ahri.org.
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