Clinch Mountain Music Festival News

Clinch Mountain MusicFest 2009 Photography Contest

Thu, 21 May 2009 03:32:11 EDT

Photo entries for the contest will be accepted in Gate City at the Town Hall and at UnCommon Goods. The Town Hall is open between the Hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. UnCommon Goods is open between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Thursday and Friday; and 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 pm on Saturday.

A $4.00 entry fee, paid at time of submittal, will be charged for each photograph.

Preliminary Details of Main Contest:
· The contest will have both Amateur and Professional categories, and each category will be broken into a color and a black and white category.
· The Amateur Class will include those who have not consistently entered and won in other photography contests or have not been paid for photography work or sold their photography.
· The Professional Class will include those who have consistently entered and won in other photography contests or have been paid for photography work or sold their photography.
· There are no restrictions on who is allowed to enter or win the contest.

· Entries will be limited to two photos per person per category
· All photographs entered will be matted and will have two 3” Velcro hook strips attached to the top back side of the mat. Minimum entry size will be 8” X 10” and maximum will be 16” X 20”.
· Photos can be offered for purchase and there will be a 10% fee paid to the Clinch Mountain Music Festival committee that will go toward funding of future CMMF events.
· If possible, all nature photos should have information on the location where the photograph was taken.
· All information on the photograph is to be displayed on the back of the photo.
· All participants must sign a waiver releasing the Town, CMMF and others from any responsibility of loss of or damage to materials entered due to the fact that these materials will be on public display.
· CMMF Photography contest directors will maintain the right to reject any images they consider vulgar or offensive.
· Entries must be presented prior to the June 5th deadline.
· Participants must pick up their photos and presentation materials by June 24th at the Gate City Town Hall or they will be
discarded.
· Award “Place Ribbons” and a cash prize will be given for the top three winners in each of the four categories. First place winners will be awarded a $50.00 prize. Second place winners will be awarded a $25.00 prize. Third place winners will be awarded a $10.00 prize.
· Entries will be judged by panel of independent judges.
Preliminary Details of Children’s Contest:
· Participants will be 12 years of age or younger.
· Image size of photo entry will be 8” X 10”.
· All photographs entered will be matted and will have two 3” Velcro hook strips attached to the top back side of the mat.
· Participants name must be displayed with the photo entries.
· There will be a photo limit of two entries per participant.
· Award “Place Ribbons” and a cash prize will be given for the top three winners in the children’s category. First place winners will be awarded a $25.00 prize. Second place winners will be awarded a $15.00 prize. Third place winners will be awarded a $10.00 prize.
· Selection of winners in the children’s contest will be determined by ticketed voting process. Tickets will be sold at the
price of four for a dollar and these tickets will be applied toward the photograph of the ticket holder’s choice.

Clinch Mountain Music Fest adds new events to lineup

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:44:04 EDT

By Wes Bunch
Published April 15, 2009
Kingsport Times-News

GATE CITY — With bluegrass festival season right around the corner, organizers of the Clinch Mountain Music Fest rolled out the lineup of bands and a few new additions for this year’s event at a press conference held Wednesday at Gate City Town Hall.

Now in its fourth year, the festival will be held June 12-13 throughout Scott County and will feature nearly a dozen national, regional and local bluegrass, old-time and country acts at three separate venues.

The 2009 festival will also see the return of several popular attractions — like the “Pickin’ Tent” and Old-Time Flat-footin’ Contest — as well as numerous artisans and vendors ranging from craftspeople to instrument builders displaying their work.

“The reason for this festival is not only to recognize this (region’s) rich culture and heritage,” said Carol Dixon, president of the Southwest Virginia Community Association, which hosts the festival, “but to also promote the music as it moves forward and is interpreted by many of the new musicians, and young musicians who are playing the old music with new instruments.”

The festival will feature two activities for the first time — an antique car show in Gate City on Friday and a horse show at the Scott County Horse Park in Dungannon on Saturday.

With many people cutting back on travel expenses because of the economy, Dixon said the extra events were added to give residents from the region more reasons to come out and take part in the festivities.

“We know that it’s important to draw folks with events that involve them, and frankly, there are people involved in the horse park and with the antique cars,” Dixon said. “Everybody likes music, and some people like to sit and listen to six hours of it. But most like to have a little music, a little shopping, some cars, let the kids go pet the animals. Then they’re happy and they can go home feeling like they’ve been to a festival.”

Vendors and the picking tent will open up Friday, and the antique car show begins at 6 p.m. to get the event under way. The music begins Saturday on Jackson Street in Gate City at 10:30 a.m. and runs to 8:30 p.m, with additional performances being held at the Carter Family Fold from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and the horse park from 5 to 10 p.m.

Russell County guitar builder Larry Hicks, who will have his instruments on display during the festival, said being a vendor at events like the Clinch Mountain Music Fest is a great way for artisans to show their handiwork.

“It really helps,” Hicks said. “A lot of people come by and get to see the instruments I make and play them, and word of mouth starts to get around. I really enjoy it and get to meet a lot of nice people too.”

Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen, featuring fiddler Steve Edwards from the Scott County Boys, is the major act for this year’s festival and will appear at the Carter Fold.

Kingsport native Brinley Addington is also on the bill, along with regionally known acts like the Roan Mountain Hilltoppers, the White Top Mountain Band, and newer bands like Smoky Ridge.

Gate City Mayor Mark Jenkins said the festival is a great way for not only the town, but the county, to benefit from the musical talent and history that is so prevalent throughout the region.

“We are proud to be a part of the Clinch Mountain Music Fest, and with (Gate City’s) tagline being ‘The Music and the Mountains Make Memories’ we’re going to have to have the music,” Jenkins said. “I hope this is just one of many events we’ll see. If you really think about it, our talent is the best renewable resource this town and county have.”

New Performers, New Venues

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:02:03 EDT

Jackson Street, Gate City, Va 24251

Saturday, June 13, 2009 (10:30 - 8:30 p.m.)

Performers

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony

11:00 – 11:30 a.m. Ron Short and MECC Mountain Music School Graduates

11:35 – 12:05 a.m. Cornshuck Symphony

12:15 – 1:00 p.m. Fire in the Kitchen

1:10 – 1:55 p.m. Whitetop Mountain Band

2:05 – 2:50 p.m. Appalachian Trail

3:00 – 3:45 p.m. Scott County Boys

3:55 – 4:40 p.m. Randy & Deborah Sheets

4:50 – 5:35 p.m. Roan Mountain Hilltoppers & Flat-Footin’ Contest

5:45 – 6:45 p.m. Music Scholarship Winners

7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Brinley Addington

*********************************

The Carter Family Fold Hiltons, Va 24258

Saturday, June 13, 2009 (7:30 - 9:00 p.m.)

Performers

Randy Waller & The Country Gentlemen

*********************************

Dungannon Horse Park Dungannon, Va 24245

Saturday, June 13

Performers

Smoky Ridge

Something for everybody at ClinchFest 2009

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:31:49 EST

We have added some exciting new events and music for everyone to enjoy. Check back soon to read all about the new and returning performers, events and happenings.

New Scholarship opportunity.

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:19:16 EDT

The Clinch Mountain Music Fest is pleased to announce that our first annual music scholarship competition will be held this year during the festival. The scholarship competition is one of the ways that CMMF hopes to preserve our rich heritage of traditional mountain music and encourage aspiring young musicians to continue developing their musical talents.

The competition will be held in two phases: individual auditions to be held on May 30, 2009, and finalist auditions to be held during a live performance in downtown Gate City during the Clinch Mountain Music Fest on June 13, 2009.

Solo performers in the following media are encouraged to audition: fiddle, guitar, banjo, vocalists, bass, mandolin, dulcimer, autoharp, keyboard, or other traditional media. An accompanist is required for any vocalist. There will be two separate divisions in the competition: Division I--full-time college students (or part-time college students under 23 years old); and Division II--high school students in grades 9-12.

Scholarships will be awarded to the top three finalists in each Division:
1st Place--$1,000, 2nd Place--$600, 3rd Place--$400.

For more information and complete list of competition guidelines, download the application form found on this page. Individuals interested in volunteering with CMMF on the scholarship committee, please submit your information in the form on our "contact us" page. Donations to the CMMF Scholarship Fund are tax-deductible and may be forwarded to: CMMF, Attn: Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 519, Gate City, VA 24251.

Click here to download The Clinch Mountain Music Fest Scholarship Application.

Clinch Mountain MusicFest ready for return engagement

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:56:00 EDT

Republished from Kingsport Times-News
April 23, 2008
Written by Kevin Castle

GATE CITY — A marriage of mountain music, economic development and preservation of mountain lore all come together in June in the rich, historical old-time music of Scott County.

Officials with the Southwest Virginia Community Foundation announced the return of Clinch Mountain Musicfest for the second weekend in June and released a star-studded lineup for the three-day event to be staged at Natural Tunnel State Park, Jackson Street in downtown Gate City and the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons.

Old-time, bluegrass and gospel music acts will be featured at the gathering, including reigning International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent and her band The Rage kicking off the festival at the Natural Tunnel Amphitheater on June 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 14, will see performances based inside two tents in Gate City, including a new “Pickin’ Tent,” where an impromptu jam session will be encouraged with those who bring their instruments.

The festivities continue later that evening at the Carter Fold, with J.D. Crowe and the New South the featured artist.

On Sunday, June 15, the event concludes with gospel music-based performances, including the Primitive Quartet.

Event coordinator Diana Meredith of the Kingsport Times-News said spinning yarns of yesteryear gets to the heart of what the festival is all about.

“In the days of my grandparents, life was rich, and it wasn’t measured by money. It was in the richness of the music they loved and the stories they told, and that is something that must be preserved for the future generations of this region. This is why we are putting this on,” said Meredith.

Gate City Mayor Mark Jenkins said the buzz around the downtown’s business district has been at full tilt since word of the MusicFest came to pass, and he welcomed the opportunity for his town to host such a historic gathering.

“I think residents and business owners alike are excited about what is going to happen. Last year when the music was here, people said it reminded them of the Gate City of old, with stores full and the streets crowded with people. It will be a source of excitement for us,” said Jenkins.

MusicFest steering committee member and Scott County Economic Development Authority Director John Kilgore says calls from South Carolina have been fielded from his office about tickets and what to do while they are in town for the shows.

“It is definitely an economic boost whenever we can host an event like this. People from all over will come, then they will tell others, which will bring more back. They will spend money in our stores and use other services, which brings an economic benefit from the music,” said Kilgore.

The MusicFest will have a special fund-raising raffle that will go to fund scholarships for area students, and it is based around the late A.P. Carter.

Kingsport guitar craftsman Tony Vines journeyed to the Carter homeplace in Maces Springs last year and secured a black walnut tree to help create a replica of the guitar Carter used.

The “Luthier Extraordinaire,” an instrument valued at $24,000, will be given away during the final day of the festival at the Carter Family Fold on June 15.

Only 2,000 tickets for a chance on the guitar will be sold at a cost of $35 each.

Steering committee member Jay Dixon gave the guitar a test strum during Wednesday’s event, plucking the old Carter Family signature “Wildwood Flower.”

“Listen to the depth of the tone of this guitar. ... It can also be used to play the blues,” said Dixon.

Tickets for the Clinch Mountain MusicFest will be $15 per person on Friday and Saturday, and $10 on Sunday, with children ages 12 and under admitted free.

Fairway Ford and Courtesy Chevrolet are the signature sponsors for the 2008 MusicFest. Co-sponsors are the Kingsport Times-News, Charter Media, WGOC, WJHL NewsChannel 11, Bryant Label, WETS and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

More details about the event are available through the Web site www.clinchfest.org or by calling 1-877-266-3303.

Clinchfest 2008 Press Conference - April 23, 2008

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:40:42 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 18:59:59 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.