Music on the Porch brings the old sound to town – The Sylva Herald

If local music legend Aunt Samantha Bumgarner is sitting on a cloud in Heaven, she might put her harp down and sing along from noon until 6 p.m. on April 30 when Music on the Porch returns to the Appalachian Womens Museum in Dillsboro.

This years event is titled Music on the Porch, an Appalachian Homecoming, said Rob Ferguson, a history professor at Western Carolina University and board member at Appalachian Womens Museum. We are trying to emphasize the homecoming theme. Were just excited to see people out there. It will be fun just to gather again.

The event is at the old Monteith Homestead, 100 W. Hometown Place, Dillsboro.

This event was inspired by the fact that we have some world-class musicians from the local community who have learned from their family members over several generations, he said.

Some of those to appear on the porch are the Junior Appalachian Musicians, part of an after-school program that provides young people instruction and performance opportunities in Mountain Heritage Music on traditional Appalachian instruments.

That will be awesome, to have some young local musicians come out and showcase their talents, Ferguson said. They kick off the show from noon to 1 p.m.

From 1-2 p.m. Lee Knight is next on the west side of the old Monteith Farmsteads wrap-around porch.

He is sort of a like a local gem kind of hiding in plain sight, Ferguson said. He is a folksinger and musician going back decades. He lives in Cullowhee and has traveled the world making music with some of the most famous folksingers of the 20th Century. He knows and has played a lot of the old songs.

Another local is balladeer Susan Pepper, a professional old-time musician set to perform from 2-3 p.m. She holds workshops for children and adults to teach them old-time music, Ferguson said.

She closed out the festival in 2019, he said. Shes a regional treasure. If there is anybody in the county right now carrying on the old ballad traditions, its Susan Pepper.

From 3-4 p.m. is Kornbread Kreek, led by Steve Estes, who knows the entirety of Bumgarners music catalogue and is known as a local expert on her music, Ferguson said.

Kornbread Kreek is really is steeped in local and more broadly, Appalachian roots music, he said. Theyre always a fun time.

Peppers friend, Sheila Kay Adams, might bring the most star-power to the event when she cranks up at 4 p.m.

Adams is a full-on celebrity in the folk music community, Ferguson said. Shes from Madison County and has won many awards for her ballad-singing and her banjo playing. She has played at the Smithsonian Folk Festival and many other major venues.

Pepper joins Adams on the stage to close out the show from 5-6 p.m.

The Pressley Girls were on the card when the posters were printed, but had to cancel.

We hope to have them back in 2023, Ferguson said.

Tickets are on sale now for $15. Children 12-and-under are admitted free. Some of the proceeds from the event will go toward building an exhibit in the Museum focused on music.

The exhibit will focus on more than Samantha Bumgarner, though of course she is going to be a big presence in there, Ferguson said. The exhibit will focus on Appalachian music and Appalachian women musicians specifically.

During her life and musical career, Bumgarner traveled to New York City to make a record; to Del Rio, Texas, to appear on Dr. John Brinkleys radio show; and to the White House to perform for President Franklin Roosevelt and the King and Queen of England. She also entertained thousands during 32 years of headlining Ashevilles Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, starting in 1928 and continuing through 1959.

The Appalachian Womens Museum encourages attendees to bring a lawn chair or blanket to the event. Dogs are welcome. Parking is free across the tracks in Monteith Park. Its a rain or shine event. Food trucks will be onsite

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Music on the Porch brings the old sound to town - The Sylva Herald