Event:
Pilot Mountain Bowed Dulcimer Festival
Date:
Held over a weekend in early April
Type:
Workshops for bowed dulcimer players; public concert on Saturday
night
Opportunities for
Participation: Attendees participate in
bowed dulcimer workshops run by Ken Bloom, a renowned dulcimer maker
and player. The public may attend a concert by Bloom and friends on
Saturday night.
Location: Workshops are at the Charles H.
Stone Memorial Library, 319 W. Main St., Pilot Mountain, NC. The
concert is held at First Baptist Church, 316 W. Main St., Pilot
Mountain, NC.
Directions: From US 52, take exit 134
(Pilot Mountain/Elkin exit). Turn onto NC 268 toward Pilot Mountain.
(If traveling south on US 52, turn left. If traveling north, turn
right.) Proceed for about 1 ¼ miles until NC 268 intersects with
Main St. Turn left on Main St. The church and library are across the
street from each other on the 300 block of W. Main St.
Cost:
Admission for the concert is $10. The full weekend of workshops,
including lunch on Saturday and two tickets to the concert, is $100.
Parking:
There is ample free parking at the library and at the church.
Special Needs Access:
Both venues are handicap accessible.
Signage:
There is no festival sign en route.
Sponsor:
Ken Bloom
Web Site:
www.boweddulcimer.com
Contact:
Cammie Collier Ken Bloom
cammiecollier@aol.com 600 W. Main St.
(336)
816-3849 Pilot Mountain, NC 27041
kgbloom@advi.net
Description of event: The Pilot Mountain
Bowed Dulcimer Festival provides devotees of the bowed dulcimer, a
traditional European variation of the dulcimer, an opportunity to
come together with an expert on the instrument for a weekend of
workshops. Ken Bloom, one of a handful of luthiers who build bowed
dulcimers, leads workshops on Saturday and Sunday. He also performs
with friends at a concert on Saturday night. The concert gives the
public a chance to hear the instrument, which is played with a bow
and has sympathetic strings, giving it a warm, rich sound. Bloom, a
veteran multi-instrumentalist, has performed and recorded in a wide
variety of settings, from symphony concerts to Linda Ronstadt’s
early band in Los Angeles to recording sessions for TV theme songs.
History of Site/Event: Ken Bloom began
the Pilot Mountain Bowed Dulcimer Festival in 2005 so that bowed
dulcimer players (many attendees play instruments made by Bloom)
could gather for a weekend to play and learn together.
Description of Site/Facility: First Baptist Church, the venue
for the Saturday night concert, is around 100 years old, and
provides an intimate setting with outstanding acoustics. The Charles
H. Sloan Memorial Library, where the workshops take place, is also
an attractive and welcoming setting.
Significance of Site/Event to the Community:
The festival gives the community an opportunity to recognize Ken
Bloom, a local citizen who is a renowned luthier, historian, and
talented musician. The festival also gives Bloom the opportunity to
share his knowledge and musical talents and interests with the local
community and with attendees from around the U.S.
***
PHOTOS courtesy Cammie
Collier
