Free Family Events in the Piedmont Triad

Today is the start of the Arts on Sunday Festival in downtown Winston-Salem.  Every Sunday in September, enjoy arts, crafts, and music on N Liberty St in downtown Winston-Salem.

Later this evening, you can enjoy concert band music by the Winston-Salem Community Band Concert or jazz at LeBauer Park.

Next Saturday, September 8, there are twelve free family events listed on our calendar!  NC Folkfest is a weekend of fun in Greensboro, the 14th Festival of Books & Authors takes place throughout downtown Winston-Salem, the 3rd Annual Hi-Fest will be at the Mendenhall Transportation Terminal in High Point, and Kernersville is celebrating the Annual End of Summer Fest.

These events and many others for you to enjoy with your family without spending a penny.  Of course, most of these events will have food and other items for sale, but you can have a lot of fun for free!

 

The Piedmont Triad in the News!

 








Support a New Local Business!

New Year's Party at Quiet Corner's Sports Bar

Bring in the New Year with our friend Mr. J  

at Quiet Corner's Sports Bar in Winston-Salem.

2805 Indiana Avenue

Doors Open at 9pm

$10 before 10pm

$20 after 10pm

Call for Advance Tickets

Gwen 336-655-5520

J 336-479-5007

Where the Grown and Sexy Socialize

Review: The Tyler Nail Trio at Jamestown's Turntable

By: Abebi Stafford

A visit to Turntable, located in Jamestown near High Point, was quite an unexpected and pleasant surprise.   It is an intimate setting where musicians and audience members can really connect with each other; a band playing to a full viewing house is about 30 individuals.  Walls are decorated with historic and iconic album covers from artist such as John Coltrane, and Steely Dan for texture and soft lighting for ambiance.   Turntable is reminiscent of a high school, or college house party with a live band for entertainment.  The bar is stocked with wine and beer, coffee and tea, as well as light snacks to enjoy while listening to music if you have the taste for it.  If you want to hear good music and have a homey feel while doing so then Turntable is your spot.

The Tyler Nail trio also consists of Quique Rodriguez-Pastor -bass, and Johnathan Loos-guitar.   All the musicians are solid players and each individual has an album as a leader.  Original, inspired, gritty at times, folk music filled the building for a few hours.   Tyler and Johnathan’s smooth voices work well together harmonizing with one another while they play and Quique lays out the low tones underneath it all.  One feels as if they are driving the road with one’s own thoughts for a couple of the nostalgic inspired tunes. Tyler Nail loves his guitar and it is absolutely apparent to the audience.

Addendum (January 3, 2015), from the Facebook page of Turntable: We're sad to announce that this message comes with the unfortunate news that as of January 1st, 2015, Turntable has officially closed its doors.

Original music, art, and the creative spirit; these were the threads that intertwined a community that has continued to grow over these past two years. Our goal was to create a space for musicians and listeners alike, where all were respected and had the opportunity to truly be heard.

We cannot thank you, our community, enough for your continued patronage, support, and belief in all that is Turntable. Although the business will no longer be open, the spirit of Turntable will most definitely live on contributing to the music community that exists around us. So be on the look out in the coming months. We love you all!

About Abebi Stafford: Abebi is a local jazz pianist and composer. Born in Minnesota, Abebi relocated to Winston-Salem two years ago. Abebi has headlined two major jazz festivals, performed in such cities as Berlin, Munich, Nuremburg, Frankfurt, Paris and Prague and has toured the Southeast United States as a performer. Abebi has produced three albums compiled of mostly original works. He is currently working as a solo artist and featured artist at such local venues as Crown and Cork, Tate's, Krankie's WS Shuffle, Arts on Sunday, Kernersville's Spring Folly and the Wayne County Jazz Showcase. Abebi is working on his fourth album. You can purchase any of Abebi's albums on cdbaby.

Bethabara Concert Band Performs at Maple Springs UMC to Benefit the Food Insecure

We had the pleasure of attending last night's Bethabara Concert Band Holiday Concert at Maple Springs United Methodist Church on Reynolda Road in Winston-Salem.  

Food Donations were accepted for the Food Pantry Ministry at Maple Springs.  This ministry effort regularly offers food assistance to over 400 individuals and families who live in our local area each month.   North Carolina has the second highest rate of food insecure children under 5 years of age in the nation.  For all age groups, North Carolina is ranked as the 4th worst in the nation for food insecurity. (Source: hungernwnc.org)   As you can see, the generosity is also great and much food was was donated . 

The Bethabara Concert band is in it's 28th season, with the season typically running from June-November.  Most performances take place outdoors at the Park Pavilion at Bethabara.  Families bring blankets and picnic dinners and there are hay rides, children's games, ice cream and hot dogs.

Last night's concert was fun-filled, with familiar songs such as Sleigh Ride and Hallelujah Chorus.  Soloists Candy King and Jeff Williard joined the band for Irving Berlin's Christmas and A Holiday Sing-Along.  The band also performed a few not-so-familiar songs such as Christmas in the Highlands, A Renaissance Christmas and Chanukah is Here.  And of course, Santa himself made a visit!  The children in the audience were called up and they listened intently as Santa read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.  There were approximately 125-150 people in the audience enjoying the music.

Mark your calendar now for the 

2015 season of the Bethabara Concert Band!

Summer Kickoff - June 11 - 6pm-8pm

Independence Concert - July 9 - 6pm-8:30pm

Back to School - August 13 - 6pm-8:30pm

September 11 Remembrance - September 10 - 5:30pm-8:00pm

Dark in the Park - October 8 - 5:30-8pm

Holiday Concert - November 19 - 7pm

2015 Winter Jam In Greensboro on Valentine's Day

2015 Winter Jam

Christian Music's Largest Annual Tour

$10 At the Door

No Tickets Required

Free in Concord! The Bill Cherry Music Festival, August 17, 2013

Music Festival (9 Bands!) to raise money for Hannah Conley 

Family Friendly Music!

August 17, 2013     Noon-8pm

 Frank Liske Park 

4001 Stough Road, Concord, NC 

Bring the whole family (pets included) chairs and blankets.

Boston Butts and music for a good cause... doesn't get any better than that. 

Free Admission and with $10 donation you receive a Boston Butt plate. 

All donations going to help Hannah Conley!  

(See Hannah's story, and why this festival was started, below)

From the Bill Cherry Music Festival facebook page
Hannah Conley
(This was written by Hannah’s Dad)
Where do I start to tell you about my girl, Hannah? We had a normal typical pregnancy with no indications that Hannah had any problems prior to birth. She began to have issues and was diagnosed at ten days old with a brain abnormality. Because of that, Hannah has Cerebral Palsy. She has muscle movement disorder, she is non-verbal (unable to talk), she cannot walk independently, and needs complete assistance with most everything. Hannah had spinal fusion surgery in February to correct an extensive curve in her spine that was completely compressing her left lung. She now has two rods and screws from the base of her neck to the base of her spine. She is still recovering, but is doing really well. The surgery was 8 hours and she spent almost three weeks in the hospital. This surgery adds more discomfort from being lifted in and out of the car. Hannah weighs 76 pounds. It is getting harder and harder for Hannah’s mother to get in and out of the car. Her mother had breast cancer two years ago and the surgeries left Mom without abdominal muscles. This makes lifting Hannah exceedingly difficult for Mom. She has to have total help with bathing, dressing, moving from one position to another, and has to have her food in a mashed consistency in order to not choke.
Hannah is 13. We live in Boiling Springs, NC. She is bright, happy, and the sweetest little girl ever! She uses a power chair for mobility. She loves school and her friends. Hannah loves her touch screen computer, and her I Pad. She loves her church and her church family. She also loves her family, especially her big brother; Austin who is 17 and attends Crest HS. Hannah has a dog, Baxter, who is her best friend. She also has a fat cat named Miss Kitty. She enjoys music, dancing, cheerleading, Special Olympics, and horses.
Thank you so much for thinking of our family. It is amazing that God used a contest and facebook to bring this all together. Words are not enough to say thank you. We are so overwhelmed and honestly are speechless!

Well my name is Mike Holbrooks and let me give you a little bit of the back story of how Facebook made this possible. It starts with Bill Cherry one of my best friends for over 30 years. About 5 years ago he was riding his motorcycle and was hit by a guy texting. The accident left him paralyzed from the chest down and with the use of only one arm. He wanted to feel independent again so he had passed his driving class but Medicaid said he had to come up $15,000 before they would build him an adaptive handicap van. I was planning to put on a music festival fund raiser for him but this past December 13th he passed away. After he passed away I told myself I was going to leave his photo as my Facebook photo till I put on this fund raiser for someone else in his honor. One morning at work Bill was on my mind. So I started calling a few different government groups that deal with handicap individuals. I wanted to see if they could put me in touch with some good people that needed some help trying to get an adaptive handicap van. I made seven phone calls that morning and they all said that I was either talking to the wrong department or person. I was fed up so I told myself that this was too hard and I had tried my best. So I went back to working. No more than 15 minutes later I get an invite from Facebook. I get so many invites to play games or other stuff I usually don’t even look at them but for some reason I pulled it up. The first thing I see is Hannah’s smiling face with a request to vote for her in a contest to try and win an adaptive handicap van. Ok remember I had just got off the phone trying to get in touch with someone I could try and help to get an adaptive van for. I knew then that Bill Cherry had that Facebook message sent to me because he knew I was about to give up. So if it had not been for Facebook and a little help from a best friend this union would have never been possible. Thanks for Your Support

Sounds of the Summer: Exploring the Tones and Colors of Organs in Winston-Salem

Free Performances at UNCSA

We are so, so lucky to have the UNC-School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.  While all of their performances are reasonably priced and well worth the money, the school also offers many FREE shows throughout the year.  Mark your calendar for each and every one of these events, show your support for these students, and make them feel at home.

Winston-Salem is, after all, the City of the Arts.

For times and locations of these free performances, go to our calendar here.  To see UNCSA's complete performance calendar (in pdf format), go here.

February 
Feb 17, 2pm UNCSA Symphony Orchestra: Orchestral Premieres

March
March 20, 2pm Student Chamber Music Festival Concerts
March 24, 2pm Undergraduate Opera Workshop: an Afternoon at the Opera
March 26, 7:30pm Student Chamber Music Festival Concerts
March 27, 2pm Student Chamber Music Festival Concerts

April 
April 3, 7:30pm UNCSA Percussion Ensembles
April 6, 2pm  Film Screening: A Time There Was...
April 6, 7:30pm Guitar Class Recital
April 7, 2pm UNCSA Cantata singers: Allbritten does All-Britten
April 9, 7:30pm Guitar Class Recital
April 23, 7:30pm Piano Area Recital

May
May 2, 7pm Third-Year Student Film Screenings
May 3, 4pm and 8pm Fourth-Year Student Film Screenings
May 19, 3pm Community Music School 2013 Honors Recital

Mother Goose Ballet -- Free Performance in Greensboro

Join the Philharmonia of Greensboro, under the direction of Peter Perret, and special guests Dance Project: the School at City Arts and Story Teller Charlotte Hamlin as it presents the annual Pillow Pops Concert. This concert is fun for the entire family and will be an educational concert for children, as well as adults! Admission is free and all ages are welcome.  

Sealy/FOX8 Holiday Concert: All-Time Record Set for Cans Collected, Benefiting Salvation Army

Saturday, December 15, 2012 marked the 

23rd Annual Sealy/FOX8 Holiday Concert 

at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC.

Bass Players from the Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Philharmonic are in the Christmas Spirit

Parking and admission were free with the donation of canned foods for the Salvation Army.  

This year, an all-time record was set for cans collected!  

806,111 cans were collected between the Greensboro concert (on Friday) and Winston-Salem's concert on Saturday.  

With those donations, the Salvation Armies of the Triad will be able to help thousands of our neighbors in need.

Pre-Concert music was provided by the 

Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Philharmonic.  

Conducted by Margaret Rehder, the group performed many Christmas classics.  

Matthew Troy, Associate Conductor for the Winston-Salem Symphony and Music Director of the Youth Symphony, conducted the evening's Holiday Concert. 

The program was hosted by Neill McNeill and Cindy Farmer of WGHP/FOX8.  Both are well-known news anchors for the Triad.

The evening's Christmas selections included Christmas Festival Overture, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Christmas at the Movies, and Mother Ginger from the Nutcracker.  

Girls from Salem Gymnastics flew through the air to Mother Ginger, making the performance quite memorable.

Carol of the Bells, Excerpts from the Nutcracker Suite and Waltz of the Flowers followed.  

Waltz of the Flowers featured the Winston-Salem Festival Ballet.

Tenor Glenn Seibert accompanied the Symphony for O, Holy Night, and then the entire coliseum audience participated in a Christmas Sing-A-Long.  Next came the fun Caribbean Sleigh Ride, and Bugler's Holiday.  What Holiday Concert would be complete without Sleigh Ride?  That was performed next, then The Grinch Who Store Christmas Medley, The Christmas Song and Little Bolero Boy. 

If you live in the Piedmont Triad, this yearly Holiday Concert should be on your list of family traditions.  People travelled from as far as Virginia, and many counties were represented in last nights audience.  There are performances in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Elon, and each one is different.  The Sealy/FOX8 Holiday Concert is a great way to help the Salvation Army, and is sure to make the season brighter.

Winston-Salem Symphony: Handel's Messiah and Flash Mob

The Winston-Salem Symphony flash-mobbed the Belk department store in December 2011 at Hanes Mall as a promotion for their upcoming performances of Handel's Messiah.

 This is so wonderful that we're happy to share it again this year!

 

 

(If the video of the flash mob is not properly loading for you, click "Playlist" and then the fourth thumbnail, labeled Winston-Salem Symphony's Handel Flash Mob!)

This year's performances are 

Tuesday and Wednesday, December 18 and 19.  

For ticket information, go here.

Dancing Guinea Pig Loves Piedmont Triad Living!

Piedmont Piggie loves Piedmont Triad Living!

Arts on Sunday Schedule!

Yay!

9/8 Wednesday

Greensboro-- Free event at Chakras Spa & Laser Center located at 229 South Elm Street.  The center is sponsoring a Guest Appreciation Day where you can learn about the latest laser treatments, enjoy chair and hand massages, and receive complimentary hair, skin and make-up consultations.  The event is from 2:00pm-7:00pm.

Greensboro-- There's free live music every Wednesday at lunchtime at Center City Park.  Bring your lunch and relax... this week's music will feature Warren Bodle & Allen.   Music starts at 12:00pm.

9/6 Piedmont Wind Symphony* Free Concert on Labor Day

Crochet Little Rock Star by Crochet Village

Winston-Salem--I am sooo excited about this!  The Piedmont Wind Symphony is having a FREE performance on Labor Day (this Monday, September 6) at 6:00pm.  Bring your lawn chairs or blankets... this is an outdoor performance in the parking lot of the Children's Museum of Winston-Salem at 390 S. Liberty Street.  Willow's Bistro and Ben & Jerry's will be there with snacks to purchase.  This year's theme is movies and kids, if you dress as your favorite movie star you can walk the red carpet!  

Greensboro-- Fitness by the Fountain in Center City Park 100 North Elm Street from 6:30pm-7:30pm.  This is a free event for the family, with no prior experience necessary!  Just bring yourself, comfortable clothes, and a water bottle.  This event runs every Monday through October, and this week's class will beTai Chi Ch'uan w/ Eric Reiss.

Winston-Salem-- Mayberry's is having their Junior Sundae Sale for $2.59.  Today (Mon. Sept. 6) is the last day.  Stop by the Miller Street, Reynolda Village, or Old Salem location, get the family some sundaes, then join the fun at the Children's Museum!