An Appalachian Summer Festival hosts
History Day May 15

Appalachian State University’s premier summer arts attraction, An Appalachian Summer Festival, invites friends of the arts to attend a History Day Celebration on Friday, May 15, in the lobby of Farthing Auditorium.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is being organized on a “drop in” basis, with guests invited to stop in between the hours of 2 and 7 p.m.

Festival staff has gathered scrapbooks, memorabilia and photos to share, and light refreshments donated by festival supporters will be available. Additionally, festival staff will be on hand to record the stories and memories of festival friends.

Denise Ringler, director of Appalachian’s Office of Arts & Cultural Programs, which presents the summer festival, described the event as a celebration of the community that has supported the festival and helped it grow into a major, regional arts attraction.

“We on the staff have been documenting the festival’s history for well over two decades, but our search for stories is never over,” she said. “The festival’s history is rich with stories of people who have supported our mission, volunteered their time and, most importantly, attended events with friends and family, creating lasting memories. We look forward to spending time with our friends, sharing memories and collecting stories from the people who have shaped the festival with their support over the last two and a half decades.”

An Appalachian Summer Festival began as a small, chamber music series that was brought to the university by Arnold and Muriel Rosen, Florida residents with a summer home in the High Country. A partnership soon developed, and Appalachian State University joined with the Rosens and other generous supporters to transform the vision of a major summer arts festival into a reality. To the chamber music series was added symphony performances, later ballet and contemporary dance, theatre, visual arts— both two and three-dimensional— and, finally, a film series.

True to a university-based arts festival, educational opportunities, including lectures and opportunities to meet artists, artistic directors, competition jurors and other experts have always been an important component of festival programming.

Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock and his wife, Rosanne, have been involved with the festival since its inception. Rosanne Peacock was one of the very first of the festival’s volunteer ushers, a group that has now grown into a corps of more than 100 volunteers who are the faces of the festival, greeting and directing more than 26,000 festival attendees each season. Peacock is among a distinguished group of Appalachian State University chancellors who have developed and sustained the festival, creating a summer attraction that rivals the artistic menus offered in major metropolitan areas.

The festival’s 25th-anniversary season is scheduled from June 27 through July 25, and features several of the festival’s most popular artists from the past, including Pilobolus Dance Theater, the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble, and Celtic sensation Leahy, as well as artists new to the festival, such as Joan Baez, Melissa Manchester and Kenny Loggins..

Between June 27 and July 25, the festival will host a full slate of the finest artistic talent, including the Eastern Festival Orchestra with Sarah Chang, violin (July 12) and Horacio Gutierrez, piano (July 19); Joan Baez (July 23); the Halpert Biennial, a national juried competition and exhibition; Pilobolus Dance Theater (July 7); Melissa Manchester (July 2); Buckwhweat Zydeco (July 11); Paula Poundstone (July 17); the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble Concert Series (June 28, July 1, 6, 15 and 20); Triad Stage’s production of Oleanna (July 21 and 22); Mike Cross (July 18); the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Pops (June 30); the 23rd annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition; Paul Taylor Dance (July 14) “Dinner and a Show at Westglow” featuring Sophie B. Hawkins (July 5); films, lectures, workshops and several special events, including (deleted “history party”) Family Day at the Turchin Center and a spectacular silent auction.

An Appalachian Summer Festival’s success is due in large part to generous support from loyal private donors, as well as a dedicated group of corporate and media sponsors, many of whom have supported the festival for over a decade. Festival sponsors include: Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, Westglow Resort and Spa, SkyBest Communications Inc., McDonald’s of Boone, Mast General Store, Best Western – Blue Ridge Plaza, Allen Wealth Management, Footsloggers Outdoor & Travel Outfitters, Peabody’s Wine & Beer Merchants, Chetola Resort, the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center, WBTV, WCYB, Charter Media, The Mountain Times, All About Women magazine, the Winston-Salem Journal, the High Country Press, Mac 100.7FM, Mix 102.3FM, WHKY AM 1290 Talk Radio and WHKY-TVDT, Mountain Television Network, WDAV 89.9FM, WFDD 88.5FM, WETS 89.5FM, WNCW 88.8FM,WASU 90.5FM and WNC magazine.

Tickets to An Appalachian Summer Festival’s events are on sale now; prices range from $5-$30. Most visual arts and educational events are free of charge. The festival offers two flexible ticket passes: the “Pick 5” offers a 15-percent discount off of any purchase of five or more tickets; the “Festival Pass” offers a 25-percent discount and priority seating for those who purchase a ticket to each performance. For tickets and information, call (800) 841-ARTS (2787) or (828) 262-4046 (Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or visit www.appsummer.org.