Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 12, 2013
Contact:
Albert Hash Festival to be held August 31
The 2013
Albert Hash Memorial Festival will be held Saturday, August 31 at Grayson
Highlands State Park in Mouth of Wilson, Va. Due to the growth of the annual
festival it was moved from Mt. Rogers School to the park’s Henderson Stage
picnic area. The day-long festival runs from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.
The festival honors beloved fiddler and fiddle-maker
Albert L. Hash. Hash started the old time music program at Mt. Rogers School
and gave lessons there. His hard work and dedication to the school and his
passion for music made an impact on his students and the community that still
continues today. The festival hopes to preserve and promote traditional
mountain music, dance, crafts and instrument making, while honoring Albert Hash
and giving back to the community through music.
Local crafts,
concessions, a farmers’ market, cakewalks and plenty of dancing will take place
along with special music and dance performances and instrument making displays.
Performers include the Whitetop Mountain Band, The Crooked Road Ramblers,
Lonesome Will Mullins & the Virginia Playboys, Heather Berry & Tony
Mabe, Dry Hill Draggers, Wolfe Brothers Stringband, Sheets Family Band, Wayne
Henderson, Possum Runners Dance Group, and more. There will also be a Master
Fiddlers’ Workshop with a fiddle demonstration from an array of old
time/bluegrass fiddlers from the Blue Ridge.
There is a
$10 per person admission fee and a $3 per vehicle parking fee. Children 12 years-old and younger are free.
Raffle tickets for a handmade quilt by Denise Hayball will also be sold. Each
ticket is $1 each and can be bought through the festival’s website at http://www.alberthashmemorialfestival.com/about/.
All proceeds from the raffle go toward funding future
festivals.
The Albert
Hash Festival is a community event made possible by volunteers. For further
information, or to serve as a volunteer during the festival, contact alberthashfest@hotmail.com. There
will also be a collection of Albert Hash fiddles on display at the festival
this year. If anyone has an Albert Hash fiddle and would like to bring it for
display, you may also contact alberthashfest@hotmail.com.
Crafters and luthiers interested in displaying can call 276-579-4322.
For more
information on Grayson Highlands or any of Virginia’s 36 award-winning state
parks go to www.virginiastateparks.gov
or call toll-free 1-800-933-7275 (PARK).
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