Jones House offers evening of art
Surefire, Meade Richter play Concert on the Lawn

 The Jones House Community Center is the place to be Friday, July 3, beginning at 5 p.m. for an evening of

the arts – both performance and visual.

As always throughout the summer, Watauga Arts Council’s (WAC) Summer Concert on the Lawn will begin at 5 p.m. Surefire and Meade Richter will be this Friday’s performers.

“Surefire is the hottest bluegrass band in the high country,” WAC folklorist Mark Freed said. “These guys won the first HayesGrass competition for a reason – they are awesome. Taking inspiration from the best in bluegrass, most notably Ralph Stanley, Surefire has got the entire package – hot picking, tight harmony singing, good song selection, humorous stage presence, and even bluegrass-style attire. Surefire was one of the most enthusiastically-received groups last year, and I expect there will be a big crowd excited to hear more bluegrass from this young band.”

Of Richter, Freed said, “Meade Richter is one of the most inventive and progressive old-time fiddlers in the region. He won Fiddler of the Festival at Fiddlers Grove this year, which is an impressive feat. Meade has also been expanding his repertoire, working at Irish fiddle, bluegrass mandolin, and mixing old-time fiddle with electric bass and drums. Though it often comes across as progressive fiddling, it is firmly rooted in traditional styles.”

This week’s concert is sponsored by Appalachian Music Shoppe, and the series is sponsored by Mast General Store, Alpine Storage and the Downtown Boone Development Association.

A reception to honor the gallery artists will follow the concert: Ron Skelton with his watercolor paintings in the downstairs Mazie Jones Gallery and Trudy Muegel with her photographs of the highlands of Scotland and the High Country in the upstairs Open Door Gallery.

Skelton’s watercolor exhibit in the main gallery gives testament to his travels and his love of the High Country.  
The artist has lived in Beech Mountain since 1989 with his wife, Eve. He also makes his home in Florida for part of the year. His travels as an army officer and a seven-year stint in Turkey working for the Boeing Company give his art work a broad perspective.

In the upstairs gallery, Muegel continues the theme of world travels with her exhibit, “The Two Highlands.” Half of the photos in this exhibit were taken in Scotland in 2005.  The other half represents the artist’s most recent project of depicting the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. They are displayed in pairs showing the striking similarities between these two settings, including churches, waterfalls, castles, arches, railroads, local fauna and famous mountains, to name a few. Instead of showing similarities, in one pair of photographs, titled “Old Buildings,” she shows the contrast between what is considered old in Scotland – Elgin Cathedral ruins from the 13th Century – and what is considered old in the Watauga County – a barn from the late 19th Century. 
 
Also, throughout the evening, Sharon Mitchell, songwriter, singer and musician, will entertain gallery patrons as she plays popular standards and old favorites on the antique upright piano in the parlor.

Storyteller Orville Hicks will also be on hand in the parlor to sign copies of his newest book, “Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns,” as transcribed by Julia Taylor Ebel and illustrated by Sherry Jenkins Jensen.

The concert and gallery reception are free, and the public is invited and encouraged to attend.

This evening of the arts coincides with the downtown Boone First Friday Art Crawl.

For those unable to attend the opening reception, the Watauga Arts Council gallery exhibits are available for viewing Tuesday, June 30, until Friday, July 31, from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays. The galleries are also open Thursdays from 7:30 to 11 p.m. during the acoustic jams and on Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. during the concerts on the lawn.

The Arts Council galleries are sponsored in part by Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff and Grassroots Funds of the North Carolina Arts Council. The WAC’s offices and galleries are located in downtown Boone at the Jones House Community & Cultural Center, owned by the town of Boone, and located at 604 W. King St. in downtown Boone.