A night of traditional Appalachian music April 16 will support Appalachian studies scholarships

Posted March 6, 2015 at 4:49 p.m.

BOONE—For those who enjoy foot-tapping, rousing and traditional Old-Time music, come out and join the Center for Appalachian Studies April 16 from 6:30-9 p.m. for the Ed Cabbell Scholarship Benefit Concert. It will be held at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum at 159 Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock.

Alumni and current students of the program at Appalachian State University will perform traditional musical styles of the southern Appalachian Mountains. The concert will feature such artists as Mary Greene, Alex Hooker, Redleg Husky, The May Belles, Trevor McKenzie, Sarah Ogletree, William Ritter, Deborah Thompson and Dave Wood.

Tickets are available online or at the door the evening of the event for $20 per person or $10 for students with ID and seniors 65 and older. Children 12 and under will be admitted free.

Proceeds will support scholarship funding up to $250 per student per academic year to support Appalachian studies graduate student research or other professional activities. Preference is given to projects related to minorities, especially African-Americans, Native Americans and women. Applicants must be graduate students in the Appalachian Studies MA program.

Ed Cabbell Jr. is one of the first graduates of the MA program in Appalachian Studies and a noted performer of Appalachia’s rich folk traditions. He also is co-editor of the landmark text, “Blacks in Appalachia” published by the University Press of Kentucky in 1986. Among his many accomplishments, he organized the John Henry Memorial Folk Festival in his native West Virginia for three decades. Cabbell will make a rare return to the area for this special benefit concert.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://appstudies.appstate.edu/benefit-concert or contact the Center for Appalachian Studies at 828-262-4089.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.