Singing on the Mountain at Grandfather June 28

The 85th annual Singing on the Mountain will take place at MacRae Meadows at Grandfather Mountain. Photo by Hugh Morton

On Sunday, June 28, Grandfather Mountain will host the 85th annual Singing on the Mountain in MacRae Meadows. Mountain authenticity, joyful singing voices and solid preaching will again grace the hills just as they have for the past eight decades. This year is extra special because Singing on the Mountain founder Joe L. Hartley’s granddaughter will bring the message.

Music starts at 8:30 a.m. and continues into the afternoon with a mid-day break for the message. Admission is free and camping (without hookups) is available on a first come basis.

The Hartley legacy began when Uncle Joe started the Singing on the Mountain in 1924 as a family reunion. As the event grew, it became an opportunity for the people of these isolated mountains to fellowship and praise God as a community.

The celebration features performances by top Southern Gospel groups and stirring preachers such as this year’s speaker, the Rev. Freida Hartley Hobson, the granddaughter of Joe Hartley. Hobson entered the ministry 14 years ago and has served several churches in North Carolina.

Featured performers for 2009 include The Greenes, Michael Combs, George Hamilton IV with George Hamilton V and Tim and Roddy Smith, The Primitive, The Cockman Family, The Melodyaires, Jubilee, Four Anointed, Naomi and The Segos and The Gospel Enforcers.

MacRae Meadows at Grandfather Mountain is located on U.S. Highway 221, two miles north of Linville and one mile south of the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information, call 800-468-7325 or click to www.grandfather.com.