Clinch Mountain Music Festival News

Clinch Mountain Challenge Bike Ride - Maps Online

Sat, 22 May 2010 03:59:19 EDT

You can travel the routes of the Clinch Mountain Challenge and Clinch Mountain Challenge Extreme via Google Earth. The Clinch Mountain Challenge, 32 mile course is at http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/va/gate-city/252127450225383335 . The route for the Clinch Mounain Challenge Extreme (about 50 miles is at http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/va/gate-city/173127450310757697.

Send in your registration form, or call 276-690-2202 for more information. See you on the 12th.

2010 Clinchfest Radio Promo

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:24:04 EDT

Click HERE to Listen to 2010 Clinchfest Radio Spot!

New Performers, New Venues

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 05:39:23 EDT

Jackson Street, Gate City, Va 24251

Saturday, June 12, 2010 (11:00 - 6:45 p.m.)

Performers

11:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony

11:20 – 11:50 a.m. Moccasin Gap

12:00 - 12:30 p.m. Ron Short and MECC Mountain Music School Graduates

12:40 – 1:25 p.m. Papa Joe Smiddy

1:35 – 2:20 p.m. Scott County Boys

2:30 – 3:15 p.m. Tennessee Skyline

3:25 – 4:10 p.m. The Sheets Family

4:15 – 5:00 p.m. Roan Mountain Hilltoppers

5:15 – 6:45 p.m. Brinley Addington

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The Carter Family Fold Hiltons, Va 24258

Saturday, June 12, 2010 (7:30 - 9:30 p.m.)

Performers

7:30 - 8:10 p.m. Virginia Whirlwind

New Ballards Branch Bog Trotters

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Exciting Music and Activities at ClinchFest 2010

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:51:51 EDT

Clinch Mountain MusicFest is gearing up for its fifth-annual celebration of mountain heritage and First Annual Clinch Mountain Challenge Bike Ride as well as "Pickin' Caches in Scott County, VA: A Geocaching event. The musicians for this year’s festival range from the New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters, Old-Time master musicians from Galax, Virginia, to Papa Joe Smiddy, a regional favorite, to Brinley Addington, a Kingsport native and rising star who returns from Nashville, TN for an encore performance. All of our musicians capture the heart, soul, and spirit of our mountain heritage. Donations to the festival help bring music to the stages and provide scholarships to aspiring music students in the region.

There are two music venues on Saturday: downtown Gate City from 11:00 am to 6:45 pm and The Carter Family Fold, Hiltons, VA from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. FREE activities in downtown Gate City include: all musical performances, Flat-Footin' contest, Petting Zoo, and Pickin' Tent. Musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments and pick and jam. Of course, there will be lots of festival food. The festival opens downtown at 11:00 am with a Flag Ceremony in front of the New Peoples Bank Stage on Jackson Street. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen will sing The Star Spangled Banner. After the opening, Moccasin Gap will take the stage then Ron Short and the MECC Mountain Music School Graduates, Papa Joe Smiddy, Scott County Boys, Tennessee Skyline, Sheets Family, Roan Mountain Hilltoppers and Brinley Addington. The Roan Mountain Hilltoppers will play for the Flatfootin’ Contest. Randy and Deborah Jean Sheets and Nina Ketron will be the judges.

Saturday evening, at 7:30 pm, the Carter Family Fold will present the Virginia Whirlwind, a new band to this region, followed by the New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters, a popular old-time band. Tickets are $10.00, available on the day of performance at the Carter Family Fold.

This year’s festival includes new activities: "Pickin' Caches in Scott County, VA: A Geocaching Event," and a bike ride: "The Clinch Mountain Challenge with three levels, a 50-mile "Clinch Mountain Extreme Challenge;" a 33-mile "Clinch Mountain Challenge;" and an 8-mile family fun ride. Geocaching starts on Friday, June 11th at Natural Tunnel State Park, Shelter #5 with registration from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Registration is $15.00 per person, $20.00 for a two-person team. For additional information on Geocaching contact Karen Davidson: 276-594-1343. Bike Rides start at 10:00 am on Saturday, June 12th. Registration applications are available at Clinch Mountain Arts and Crafts, 142 West Jackson Street, Gate City, VA; Athletics Unlimited, 210 East Jackson Street, Gate City, VA; and at www.clinchfest.net. Cost is $10.00 per rider, $20.00 per family and $5.00 for children under 12 or second rider in the family. For additional information on bike rides contact Ed Britt: 276-386-3561.

Clinchfest 2010 Press Conference - April 14, 2010

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 05:26:15 EDT

Tony Vines Recognizes A.P. Carter,

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:38:02 EDT

How does a gifted guitar maker honor the father of country music? Build a guitar in his name, of course. Tony Vines, Luthier Extraordinaire, from Kingsport, Tennessee has done just that, crafting a beautiful replica of the Martin guitar Alvin Pleasant (A.P.) Carter owned and used to write and arrange songs. But that is just the beginning of the story.

In 1999, Tony Vines decided that A.P. Carter, the "Father of Country Music," should be recognized with a guitar named after him. For A.P. Carter was the “brains” behind the original Carter Family’s success. He wandered the hills and hollers of Appalachia listening to, collecting and arranging songs passed down through the generations. He walked up and down the railroad tracks in Maces Springs, Virginia (now Hiltons), head down, hands clasped behind him, lost in thought about hardscrabble Appalachian life. He wrote and arranged songs about this life and his love of God. For him, the love of God and love of music could not be separated.

Tony Vines then met Joe Carter, son of A.P. Carter in Hiltons, Virginia at the famous Carter Family Fold, and they became fast friends. A year later, Tony introduced to Joe the idea of building a collector guitar to honor his father. Joe was enthusiastic, especially because Tony would build the guitar from a tree on A.P. Carter's homeplace.

Joe had a keen eye for spotting trees. In July 2001, he informed Tony he had found the “right tree,” a huge black walnut tree standing tall on the Holston River bank at Hiltons. A month later, they cut the giant tree, trimmed its gnarly limbs and let it air dry for thirty days. On September 11, 2001, they loaded the log onto a truck and hauled it to Jack Cunningham’s sawmill. They debarked the log, cut it into eight-foot sections and quarter-sawed it, keeping the grain vertical to make the wood stable. They put the log sections in a kiln dryer for thirty days, making sure it dried slowly and evenly to prevent case-hardening.

Then Tony sorted the beautiful black walnut boards, picking out the best quality boards for twenty to twenty-five sets of sides and backs for the A.P. Carter guitars. He stored the boards for six years, and has just built the first guitar in the style of A.P. Carter’s Martin. He is excited about this beautiful guitar for the music history it represents and its powerful tone. One can almost hear the deep vibrato of A.P. Carter's voice spilling out of the sound hole. Tony is also excited about offering this first A.P. Carter guitar for a Guitar Raffle for Clinch Mountain MusicFest (2008).

The guitar has a certificate of authenticity signed by Joe Carter and Tony Vines stating where the wood came from, an internal label signed by Joe Carter, and a photocopy of A.P. Carter’s signature taken from a deed to property he owned in Maces Springs.

Win a piece of Mountain Music History

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:47:38 EDT

Own a sacred piece of mountain music history as the Clinch Mountain MusicFest presents a special old-time Guitar Raffle.

With this expert replica of A.P. Carter’s acoustic guitar, built by luthier extraordinaire Tony Vines. This treasure is handcrafted from a black walnut tree cut down by Joe Carter (A.P. Carter’s son) and Tony Vines on A.P. Carter’s home place in Hiltons, Virginia.

Only 2,000 raffle tickets will be sold at $35.00 each for this beautiful guitar valued at $24,000. Tickets may be purchased by mail, on-line, or at the Clinch Mountain MusicFest (2008), June 13, 14, and 15, 2008. The drawing will be held on June 15, 2008 at the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia.

To order raffle tickets by mail, complete the online form (you may also purchase online - see below) at www.clinchfest.net and mail the form with check, money order or credit card information to Clinch Mountain MusicFest Guitar Raffle, P.O. Box 519, Gate City, Virginia 24251. Upon verification, you will receive your tickets by mail. Mail purchases of tickets must be postmarked by midnight June 2 , 2008 to be eligible for the drawing.

Online purchases at www.clinchfest.net may be made by credit card. Click here to purchase your raffle tickets.

Welcome to the Clinchfest

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 EST

The Clinch Mountain MusicFest is more than just another festival. It is about heritage, music, playing, singing, dancing and storytelling about life in Appalachia-from its early settlement until today.

Mountain musicians are storytellers, living and breathing the life of the mountains as they play the music. Come to the Clinch Mountain MusicFest and experience the unique heart, soul and spirit of mountain music with dozens of acclaimed national and regional artists at Natural Tunnel State Park, Gate City, Virginia and The Carter Family Fold, Hiltons, Virginia.

The musicianship is outstanding. All ages will enjoy the hand-clappin’, foot-stompin’, and flat-footin.’ This event inspires us to preserve and foster this rich musical heritage.

If you would like to be a part of this celebration of our musical heritage, we welcome you to volunteer your time. You can find a volunteer form here, and you can email our volunteer coordinator by completing this email form.