AUGUST 13, 2009 ISSUE
Ola Belle Reed Homecoming Festival Friday to Sunday
The Ola Belle Reed Homecoming Festival celebrates the musical legacy of Ola Belle Reed, an acclaimed songwriter and musician originally from Lansing.
More than a dozen top-notch musical acts will perform in northern Ashe County when the 4th annual Ola Belle Reed Homecoming Festival returns to the American Legion Memorial Ball Field and the Old Lansing School in Lansing. The festival takes place Friday to Sunday, August 14 to 16.
The festival will from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Friday, 12:00 to 9:00 p.m. Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday.
Bands featured at this year’s festival include Blueground Undergrass featuring Rev. Jeff Mosier, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Dehlia Low, Volatile Baby, Whitetop Mountain Band, the Elkville String Band, Surefire Bluegrass Band, Randy & Deborah Jean Sheets, the Grayson Highlands Band, Charles Welch, Jim Brooks and Mountain Drive and the Ola Belle Reed Family. Saturday’s schedule includes a festival debut performance by the Ashe County Gospel Quartet, Faithful Four, from the Cox Grove Baptist Church Choir.
In addition to continuous day and evening concerts, the Ola Belle Reed Homecoming Festival will feature instrumental, songwriting and voice workshops inside the historic Lansing School, which is connected to the field by an underground tunnel. An outdoor jam tent on the school grounds will provide a place for amateurs and professionals to come together and exchange techniques. In addition to the artistic programming, festivalgoers can enjoy the event’s craft market, food court and much more.
Originally from Lansing, Ola Belle Reed (1916-2002) was an acclaimed songwriter and musician who learned to pick the banjo at an early age and began writing songs about her life in the mountains. During the Depression, Reed moved to Baltimore with her brother Alex, where she performed on radio stations across the state and began performing with the North Carolina Ridge Runners. In 1949, she joined The New River Boys as a singer, banjo and guitar player.
Greensboro’s Holy Ghost Tent Revival will be one of more than a dozen acts that will at the 4th annual Ola Belle Reed Homecoming Festival in Lansing from Friday to Sunday, August 14 to 16.
In 1951, Reed founded the popular music venue the New River Ranch with her husband Bud, brother Alex and his wife Lucy. Known best for her songwriting, Reed penned more than 200 songs during her lifetime. Such celebrated artists as Marty Stuart, Del McCoury and Tim O’Brien have recorded her signature song, “High On A Mountain.”
Reed received the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Award, was honored by the Smithsonian Institute, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Maryland, and was also inducted into the Washington Area Musicians Hall of Fame for her contributions to Appalachian Traditional Music.
The Ola Belle Reed Festival is a community-based event and fundraiser for the Greater Lansing Area Development Committee (GLAD), a nonprofit organization committed to the revitalization of Lansing. The group consists of community volunteers dedicated to the annual event in the spirit of Appalachian tradition.
Festivalgoers can purchase single-day tickets or three-day passes to the event. Advanced tickets are on sale at Ashe County Arts Council, Ashe County Chamber of Commerce in West Jefferso, and Lansing Foods in Lansing until Friday, August 14, at 5:00 p.m. Three-day passes are $20. Friday-only and Sunday-only tickets are $5. Advanced Saturday-only tickets are $10; the gate price is $15.
For more information, click to www.olabellefest.com or call 336-384-5716.
Want To Go?
Dates: Friday to Sunday, August 14 to 16
Times: 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Friday/12:00 to 9:00 p.m. Saturday/11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday
Location: American Legion Ball Field and Old Lansing School, Lansing
Cost: $20 three-day passes/$5 Friday/$15 Saturday/$5 Sunday
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