Just Relax
Friday is finally here and it’s time to relax. Grab a lawn chair, or your favorite picnic blanket, pack up the family and head to the Old Historic Burke County Courthouse square in the heart of downtown Morganton for the TGIF Summer Concert Series. A variety of bands have already been booked. The vendors start selling food at 6 p.m. and the bands start playing at 7 p.m. - everything wraps up around 10 p.m., says Beth Willard, community events coordinator with the City of Morganton’s MainStreet Department
What To Expect
The concert series began nearly 10 years ago, running through the month of May. Now running 12 weeks – starting in May and going through the month of July - the series is one of the most popular social events for the spring and summer months. As many as two thousand people attend, Willard said. Vendors sell all types of food, from hamburgers and corndogs to chicken fingers, barbecue, kettle corn, frozen lemonade, fried apple pies and caramel apples. “It’s family entertainment,” Willard said. “You can bring your kids and not have to worry about bad language or the bands saying anything inappropriate. It’s just a great event for the entire family.” The event is rain or shine and no shelter is provided if it does rain. Be sure to come early to secure a good spot on the lawn.
The Line-up
This year TGIF will feature a variety of bands, playing all different types of music, Willard said. Everything from country to rock and bluegrass to Latin music, she said. “I would say that nearly 90 percent of the bands this year are local,” Willard said. “We wanted to support our local artists, especially during this down economy.” Sweet Revenge, an 80s cover band, will kick off the summer concert series on May 7. Other bands include Too Much Sylvia, a variety band, on May 14; The Fab Beat Band, a Beatles tribute band, on May 21; Scott Davis Band will play country on May 28; the popular rock cover band, Throwdown Jones, will play June 4; Rhythm and Blues band, The Alligators are set to hit the stage on June 11; on June 18 Big Daddy Love, a grassroots rock band will play; Chris Cates & the Master Plan, a local favorite, will play beach music on June 25; Shaggie Maggie, a variety band, will play July 9; Tropic Culture, a Latin band, is on the calendar for July 16; W.S.N.B. will play blues on July 23 and The Buchanan Boys will wrap up the series with some country music on July 30.
What's New
This year, the Burke Arts Council, located in the Jailhouse Gallery beside of the courthouse lawn, is trying something new. “They are starting a new thing called Shrimp-a-roo,” Willard said. “Every TGIF they will be selling Shrimp cocktail out the backdoor of the jailhouse gallery. You can get six large shrimp for $4, plus the cocktail sauce, or 12 large shrimp for $7.”Willard said the arts council will start selling the shrimp at 6 p.m. and stop at 7:30 or when they sell all of the shrimp, whichever comes first. The Jail House Gallery also will be open for viewing. Simply Green Recycling, a Morganton-based recycling business, will be there to help insure the concerts series is headed in a green direction and collect any recyclables.
What Not To Bring/For More Information
Don’t worry about getting your cooler iced up. They are prohibited, so just leave it at home. In fact, you will be asked to leave if you do bring a cooler. Food and drinks – including adult beverages – will be available, including three types of wine and beer in the bottle or on tap. Morganton’s own Catawba Valley Brewing Company also will be there to serve up its popular brews. You can’t bring pets, either, regardless of how friendly, cute and cuddly they are. Again, if you do bring a pet, you may be asked to leave, Willard said. The TGIF Summer Concert Series is a production of the Historic Morganton Festival, Inc. If you’d like to know more about the concert series or the MainStreet office visit www.downtownmorganton.com and check out the entire events calendar. If you’d like to speak with someone, Willard can be contacted at 828.438.5252 or by email at downtownmorganton@compascable.net . Booking for the 2010 summer concert series is complete. If you are interested in booking a date for the 2011 summer year contact Beth Willard.
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