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Event/Site:
Heritage Jubilee Family Festival at
Lowgap
Community Center
Date:
First Saturday in November,
10:00am—8:00pm
Type:
Daylong living history celebration highlighting the spiritual
heritage of the
Blue
Ridge
. Groups perform traditional
gospel music with an emphasis on the
pioneer
era to early radio. Crafts
and food for sale. Children’s
activities.
Location:
Lowgap Community Center, (9070W.
Pine St., Lowgap, NC, 27024) The
center is
on Highway 89, 8 1/2 miles west
of Interstate 77 and half way between
Mt. Airy, NC, and
Galax, VA. Click
here for a map.
Cost:
$3.00 for adults, $1.00
for children and students
Parking:
Free. Accessible for
bus tours. Tour operators
should contact
event
organizer beforehand.
Special
Needs Access: Handicap
ramp into building. Bathrooms
not handicap accessible.
Signage:
At location.
Sponsor:
Lowgap
Community Center
, WPAQ Radio, area businesses.
Web
Site:
www.bringthebooks.com/Calendar.html
Contact:
Brent Carrick
(336) 352-3110
Description
of Event: Step
back in time as the Heritage Jubilee recreates the feeling of an
old-time camp meeting spiritual gathering, complete with a homecoming
dinner on the grounds for lunch featuring southern home-cooked foods.
Filling the air are the soulful sounds of tightly harmonized
traditional gospel music native to the
Blue Ridge
area. The event’s
performers, who live in or are from the region, can include such groups
as the legendary Wade and Julia Mainer, the Mass Mountain Choir, the
Jubilee Trio, and the Front Porch Quartet. Over
40 food and craft vendors feature old-timey treats such as fried pies
and roasted peanuts, as well as hand-crafted items such as quilts and
woodwork. Children’s
activities include a petting zoo, pony rides, and mule-drawn wagon
rides. There is even an
Oldest Bible Contest, complete with prizes for every pre-1900 bible plus
a grand prize for the oldest bible.
History
of Site/Event: The
Jubilee began in 2004 when
Lowgap resident and WPAQ host Brent Carrick became inspired by friend
Howard Dorgan, Professor of Appalachian Religious Studies at Appalachian
State University. Dorgan’s
book “Giving Glory to God in
Appalachia
” highlighted five Baptist denominations in and around the Lowgap
area. Carrick
became convinced that there was and still is a distinct cultural
heritage concerning the spiritual life of the Blue Ridge—a heritage
characterized by river baptisms, shape note singing schools, dinner on
the grounds, camp meetings, and circuit riding preachers.
Carrick decided to create an event to share his love of this
living heritage with others.
Description
of Site/Facility: The
Lowgap
Community Center
is in a bucolic rural setting. The
site features three music venues for the event—a gym, an outdoor
stage, and a church across the road.
Significance
of Site/Event to the Community: The
event bolsters community
involvement and community pride by focusing people on local cultural
traditions worth celebrating and preserving. For
those who know the mountain music from their youth, it is a time to
experience joys from their younger days. For
those new to the area or to the music, it is a chance to experience the
spiritual heritage of the mountains.
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