BLUE RIDGE INSTITUTE KICKS OFF FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT
SERIES & DANCE

First Fridays Take On New Meaning with Flatfooting, Fiddles,
and Old-Time Favorites Jam Sessions

August 22, 2003

     In two weeks the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum will kick off the Ferrum Jamboree and Dance, a new, public concert series that will feature old-time and traditional music and dancing, on the first Fridays of most months. The community is invited to enjoy original sounds of the region in an outdoor venue highlighting the geography and beauty that inspired those chords. On Friday, September 5, the Dry Hill Draggers will perform from 7 – 9 p.m. on the Blue Ridge Institute grounds. The event is free and open to the public.

     The Dry Hill Draggers will serve as the house band, but other old-time and traditional musicians are invited to perform.

     Visitors are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs. Chips and sodas will be available for sale by the Ferrum College Baseball Team.

     Roddy Moore, executive director of the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, says the College will offer the free concerts because it is a way “to thank the people of the community for the help and support they have given us over the years.”

     One more concert will be held this season on Friday, October 3. The concerts will resume in the spring of 2004.

     For more information on the event, call (540) 365-4416.

     The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum (BRI) is dedicated to preserving the heritage and traditions of the Blue Ridge region and its people. Designated the State Center for Blue Ridge Folklore, the BRI seeks to educate visitors about the region’s historic significance through gallery exhibits, traveling shows, cultural archives and a working 1800 farm and homestead. The BRI is a division of Ferrum College. For more information, visit www.blueridgeinstitute.org.

     Ferrum College is a four-year, private, co-educational, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Ferrum offers a choice of nationally recognized bachelor’s degree programs at a cost well below the national average for private colleges. For more information on Ferrum, visit www.ferrum.edu. # # #

Photos from the first Ferrum Jamboree and Dance