Morganton, NC – Join Morganton in celebrating 37 years of the Morganton Festival sponsored by Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge! The free festival features free music all day plus national country acts, a NEW Indie Stage, Kid Zone fun with rides and games, and food for all ages, plus over a mile and a half of arts & craft vendors from all over the country!
The Morganton Festival is launching a brand new stage for the 2018 Festival. The Indie Stage will feature a wide variety of genres, showcasing some of the best bands located in the region. The Indie Stage will be an intimate stage set under a large tent where festival goers can escape from the heat and enjoy food and beverages. The stage/tent will be located on the Courthouse Square next to the Burke Arts Council. Beer and wine and a couple of Food Trucks will be on Meeting Street beside the tent. The Indie Stage will feature FREE music ALL DAY on both Friday, September 7 and Saturday, September 8. Come enjoy the fun at the 37th annual Morganton Festival.
One Leg Up will kick-start the full day of music beginning at 12pm on Friday. Based in Asheville, One Leg Up performs a vibrant mixture of upbeat Gypsy Jazz, Latin, Swing and original jazz compositions. Singer/Songwriter Earleine continues the entertainment at 3pm. Her style is Americana music with a swirl of folk, rock and roots under a blanket of soul. This is a performance you won’t want to miss! Then at 5:30pm JB & the 70s rock out. This is an exciting band who came together to specialize in bringing back a lot of those vintage hits and deep cuts rarely played from the greatest decade of classic rock (the 70s). Stick around to see more music on the City Stage because the music will continue at 8pm with Asheville artist Lyric followed by Throw- down Jones making their City Stage debut.
Music starts early on Saturday with a 10am performance from Greenville, South Carolina’s own Swamp Rabbit Railroad. The group represents the tradition of American folk revival music established by artists like Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, while also creating innovative and socially pertinent tunes in the modern folk style. Listening to Swamp Rabbit Railroad will be a great way to start your morning at the Morganton Festival. At 12:30pm, just in time for lunch, Rastacoustic brings a little Appalachian Reggae to your day. Sycamore Bones kicks off the afternoon with music that integrates north and south, rock and bluegrass, bliss and heartache into music that invites you to hang your coat and stay a while.
The Clydes close out the Indie Stage on Saturday at 5:30pm. This Asheville-based bluegrass and Americana band have been showcased three consecutive years at the International Bluegrass Music Awards, and have played nationally at festivals including MerleFest, Aiken Bluegrass Festival and Cartersville Bluegrass Festival. After the Indie Stage, head over to the City Stage for music by Smithfield and National Country Artist Chris Lane beginning at 8pm.
ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE!
Be a part of this memory making event and mark your calendars for a great weekend of fun, September 7 & 8 in downtown Morganton. The festival is an animal-free event and will go on rain or shine. For a complete listing of all the events including the Sunrise Run, MADE, Miss Morganton Pageant, music acts, and more, contact us by phone at 828-438-5252; by email at [email protected]; or check out the website www.morgantonfest.org.
Photos: (Top) The Clydes perform at the Morganton Festivals Indie Stage on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 5:30pm. (Bottom) Earleine performs on Fri., Sept 7 at 3 pm.
