Popular Stecoah series to return for 2020
Stecoah – A cloud of mystery still lingers over the annual “An Appalachian Evening” concert series, but one thing is certain: the 2020 installment will take place.
Stecoah Valley Center director Beth Fields confirmed in a July 9 phone interview with The Graham Star that thanks to funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the venue will welcome musicians. However, as with most anything else occurring in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, modifications will be necessary.
Of note, the only people present in the room will be the musicians and two members of the center staff.
“We applied for a block grant with the National Endowment for the Arts, and we did get that,” Fields said. “We were actually only one of 21 organizations in North Carolina to get it, so we’re very fortunate.”
Thanks to the grant, the center was awarded $50,000 on June 30, which will go toward the cost of booking the musicians. Another major change is live attendance. Series enthusiasts will be able to view the concerts via livestreams on the Stecoah Valley Center’s social media pages.
The performances will also be archived to YouTube. Fields also indicated that additional equipment has been ordered in order to enhance the online presentation.
She also stressed the importance of helping out artists, as many musicians rely on their career as their source of income.
“We had delayed everything in March or April,” Fields said. “We spoke with all the groups, and they all agreed to come do a livestream.
“We’re excited to still be able to pay musicians since everything has been cancelled. We decided we didn’t want to do that; we wanted to try and figure out a way (to host the series).”
However, she stopped short of announcing a start date, as the center wants to make sure everything is ready. The series was originally set to begin June 27.
Season-ticket holders have been contacted. Fields said that most have asked for a credit to simply be applied to the 2021 series. Instead, the Stecoah Valley Center will ask patrons for donations, all of which will go toward the center.
The annual Stecoah Harvest Festival is still up in the air, Fields said.
To keep up with the latest updates concerning An Appalachian Evening, visit StecoahValleyCenter.com.