By Staff
Festivities begin downtown at 9 a.m.
By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles &Features Editor
Rodney Dillard will bring a bit of Mayberry to Washington this weekend during the inaugural Beaufort County Traditional Music Festival.
Dillard — perhaps best known for his portrayal of one of the Darling boys in the 1960s “The Andy Griffith Show” — and his wife Beverly Colton Dillard will be special guests during the festival, scheduled for Saturday in downtown Washington. Both are accomplished musicians who travel the country with their program “Mayberry Ministries.”
Through their ministry, the Dillards promote the solid family values of Andy Taylor, Aunt Bee and Opie — as well as a simpler lifestyle — through music and storytelling, said Joey Toler, executive director of the Beaufort County Arts Council. BCAC is one of the driving forces behind this weekend’s event
The Dillards will appear at the waterfront pavilion venue near the North Carolina Estuarium beginning at 4 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public.
The festival begins at 9 a.m. and runs throughout the day, concluding with an 8 p.m. concert at the Turnage Theater. The concert features Carolina Still, the Barnraisers and Molasses Creek. Tickets for the evening concert are $12 each for adults and $10 each for children 12 and younger.
Earlier during the day, festival-goers may listen to music at several locations in downtown Washington, including the Civic Center, Turnage Theater, Harding Square and a waterfront pavilion just west of the North Carolina Estuarium. Music-related workshops are scheduled at various times at the Civic Center.
The Estuarium will be the site of several events, including storytelling, arts and crafts.
The Beaufort County Traditional Music Association’s Festival Store, where performers’ CDs will be sold, will be housed in a tent between Stewart Parkway and the waterfront promenade (between Respess and Market streets).
Open jam sessions will be conducted at that site at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. and an “old-time” jam session is set for noon, with a jam session with Carolina Still slated for 2 p.m.
Spontaneous music-jam sites will be identified by hay bales scattered around downtown.
Except for the evening concert, all venues and activities shut down at 5 p.m.
For more information, visit www.beaufortcountyartscouncil.org.