week of 4/23/03
 
 
 
  Full day of music planned for Greening Up
SMN
The music at the Greening Up the Mountains Festival starts at 10 a.m. on the WestCare Stage with Waynesville singer/songwriter Chris Minick, followed by Sylva artist Robert Earl. Frank Lee, one of the original Freight Hoppers, will take the stage next with his bottleneck guitar and banjo. The Moolah Temple String Band, featuring Sylva’s Ian Moore and Jonathan Wertheim, will start the afternoon session with its extraordinary variety of music that ranges from Roscoe Holcomb to George Jones to Prince.

Next up will be Marshall Ballew, the instrumentalist and songwriter from Whittier, who will offer a set of originals and classics from Hank Williams, Sr. to the Rolling Stones. He will be joined by Minick, Woody Cowan, Doug Trammel and Greg Hils.

The pace of the music picks up with the Sylva band Zyder Zee who will offer up a set of originals and cover tunes in the style of Dave Matthews and more. The Sawmill Creek Porch Band from Bryson City will keep up the pace with their style of bluegrass and old-time barn burners. Headlining the WestCare Stage will be Cosmic Charlie, the seven-piece combo from the music mecca of Athens, Ga.

Lovers of music and dance will also find a wide variety of acts at the East end of Main Street on the Founder’s Stage. The Ani-Kuwih (Mulberry) Dancers will begin the entertainment at 12:30 p.m. with traditional Cherokee children’s dances. Another group of children dancers, the Bravehearts from Macon County, follows featuring traditional Scottish dances. The music begins at 1:20 p.m. with a short set from 16-year-old Josh Bulla on his Celtic harp and Scottish bagpipe. More Scottish music follows with the string band Mountain Times. The first half of the Founder’s Stage lineup concludes with the Cullowhee Valley Cloggers.

The mountain music of local favorites the Fiddling Dills Sisters Band starts the second half followed by the old-time ballads of the Queen Family, featuring Mary Jane Queen. The music then changes direction with the Muses, a six-woman accapella group from Buncombe County that was a hit at last year’s festival.

Greening Up the Mountains will culminate at the Founder’s Stage with gospel music from the Inspirational Choir from Western Carolina University and the Christian Soldiers from Wolf Mountain.

A complete guide to the festival can be found in the Events section of www.spir.us www.spir.us or by consulting the festival guide that will be available at the Information Booth on the day of the festival.