The First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Series for 2011-12 will get under way at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center on Thursday, Nov. 3, with a concert by the band Blue Eyed Girl.

The group’s 7 p.m. performance of old-time music will be followed by an 8 p.m. jam session in which local musicians are invited to participate.

The concerts and jam sessions will continue at the Mountain Heritage Center through the winter, with programs from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. Other performers scheduled to present concerts are Whimzik, Ric Ledford and the Reems Creek Incident, and the New Southern Ramblers.

The events are free and open to everyone. Pickers and singers of all ages and experience levels are invited to take part in the jam sessions, and the events also are open to those who just want to listen. The Mountain Heritage Center is located on the ground floor of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building.

828.227.7129.