RTP-area local music and culture

[Heather LaGarde <heather AT barnstarvintage.com>]

The Final  Saturdays in Saxapahaw  Summerfest of the season is this  
Saturday, August 25th!
With
The Kickin Grass Band
The Kickin Grass Band, have set themselves a cut above the rest with  
their tight vocal harmony, driving instrumentation and effusive  
energy on and off the stage. The band prides itself on reaching all  
types of bluegrass and non-bluegrass audiences, incorporating  
standard bluegrass tunes, rock & country classics and a number of  
"can't get 'em out of yer head" originals into their entertaining  
sets.  With rich vocals, skilled fiddle and a banjo that lives in the  
perfect space between Scruggs and Fleck, The Kickin Grass Band brings  
traditional music to the forefront of modern bluegrass and a new  
generation of music fans.

"The band picks with power and authority and the vocals are sung with  
passion and grace. And, best of all, along the way, the band has  
forged its own unique sound. The original tunes are just stellar." —   
Dave Higgs, Bluegrass Breakdown, Nashville Public Radio

"A unique musical offering, which stands out in the sometimes crowded  
field of similar sounding bluegrass acts, and appeals to a broad  
range of tastes."- Swallow Hill Newsletter, Denver CO

"An entertaining ride fueled by rich harmonies and pulsing rhythms."-  
Chris Parker, The Durham Herald-Sun

***After a summer of great music, healthy local fare, facepainting,  
parades, bubbles, zipboats and homemade waterslides, the Saxapahaw  
Rivermill Farmer's Market and Music Series comes to a close for the  
season at the grand Summerfest Finale this Saturday, August 25th.   
The Kickin' Grass Band will be playing on the haywagon stage at the  
meadow amphitheater over the Haw River celebrating local arts, &  
local food in what has become a thriving and diverse community gala.   
Centrally located between the Triangle and the Triad, the Saturdays  
in Saxapahaw series draws crowds from Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham,  
and Raleigh as well as Graham, Burlington and Greensboro with a  
different band every week, free activities for kids and a Farmer's  
Market offering locally produced cheese, wine, baked goods, honey,  
flowers, fish, pork, eggs, chicken, jams, chutney, and organic  
produce.  The market added a section for local artisans this year  
called Front Porch Crafts featuring jewelry, toys, woodworking,  
baskets and pottery and The Barbecue Joint brings their mobile  
kitchen out each week to provide dinner to the crowds.

Each Saturday this historic former milltown  finds itself packed as  
families hike in carrying picnic blankets and baskets. Cyclers ride  
out on backroads, and organized kayaking trips paddle down the Haw  
River from Swepsonville as farmers and artisans set up their tents.   
The haywagon stage is exactly that, two haywagons puled together  
covered with a tent to keep the summer's heat off the musicians. The  
Market opens at 5 to the weekly soundtrack of vintage Calypso and  
Bahamian odes to tomotoes and okra, dotted with market themed  
specials from The Andrews Sisters (Beer Barrel Polka), Louis  
Armstrong (Potato Head Blues), and Dinah Shore (Shoo Fly Pie).   The  
rolling hillsides around the stage fill with picnic blankets and  
chairs as people stake their spot for the show and shop the farmer's  
market.  The bands start playing at 6 and run until 8 with organizers  
collecting for the band using a large swan bucket to hold donations-  
which is what covers band fees -and this inevitably inspires weekly  
jokes about the Swan Song etc. Maybe it's the historic setting, or  
the river, or the local feel of the event but the sense of  
camaraderie and community is so strong with all ages, all kinds of  
backgrounds joining together to enjoy a lovely night out with the  
only cost being what you might choose to feed a swan.***
We'd like to thank the wonderful farmers, great bands and the  
sponsors for the series including Saxapahaw Rivermill and  Haw  
Village,  Open Eye Cafe,  Fifth Season Gardening, Townsend Bertram  
and The Barbecue Joint.  Children's Activities are run and sponsored  
by the amazing folks at Ceres and Bioallies - Hats off to them for  
such a great year with the kids!


Join us for the last Saturday in Saxapahaw this year! But don't worry  
we have two great events planned for Fall!
Oktoberfest!  Oct. 20th 4-8
The town’s annual fall celebration brings back farmers and artisans  
along with great local microbrews and 4 bands running from 4-8.  With  
activities for kids including pumpkin painting – halloween costume  
parades and the return of the zipboat!  This year’s featured bands  
are Memphis, Wood & Steel, Southpaw and The Parsons.  Save the Date!

Bricolage Arts Festival in Saxapahaw:
November 1-4, 2007  The Bricolage Arts Festival is a new kind of arts  
festival, a 4-day, Piedmont Triad-wide event presenting new  
interdisciplinary, collaborative works by a number of the region’s  
top artists.  The 7 creative teams for 2007 include dancers,  
musicians, visual artists, poets, composers, actors and filmmakers,  
all of whom were required to create new works specifically for the  
festival by crossing disciplines or crossing county lines.  In this  
inaugural festival year,  a group of Alamance artists, many of whom  
are from in and around Saxapahaw joined together and were selected   
as one of 12 individual events being held in 11 Piedmont Triad cities  
(and a festival Gala at Chinqua Penn in early October!)  The River  
Artists Collective, “Alluvial Fusion” (representing Alamance County)  
will be presenting their work in the Upper Mill – the former Dye  
House in Saxapahaw.  Artists and musicians of the River Artists  
Collective will create a site-specific art experience using pottery,  
weaving, sculpture and painting and music with the Haw River as their  
inspiration and backdrop. The event will be a ticketed event, for  
more information please visit  http://www.bricolageartsfestival.org
************************************************************************
Saturday events take place outside in downtown Saxapahaw next to the  
Post Office.  The Farmers Market and Children's Activities run from  
5-8 and bands play on the Haywagon Stage at the Meadow Amphitheater  
from 6-8.  For more information, a schedule of bands and farmers,  
directions, pictures and more please visit www.rivermillvillage.com  
or call 336 376 5694.  COME ON OVER TO SAXAPAHAW!