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Mountain Glory: Toe-tappin' entertainment

By Mike Conley | The McDowell News

Published: October 8, 2009

The streets of downtown Marion will be filled with good music and lots of entertainment during this Saturday's Mountain Glory festival.
The 26th annual festival, sponsored by the city of Marion, celebrates the arrival of the autumn season in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the courthouse lawn and three blocks of Main Street. Mountain Glory will have three separate stages providing a wide variety of entertainment simultaneously.
The Gazebo Stage on North Main Street will feature the Moore Brothers at 10 a.m. Jacob Moore is an 11-year-old who enjoys playing the mandolin, fiddle and guitar. He currently studies the mandolin with Wayne Benson of IIIrd Tyme Out and the fiddle with Alan Johnson, formerly with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. His brother Isaac is a 7-year-old who plays the mandolin and a few songs on the guitar. Together, they are the bluegrass group the Moore Brothers, which also includes their dad, Jeff Moore on rhythm guitar; mom, Patti Moore helping with the vocals; lead guitarist, Richard Penland; and bass player, Johnny Pons.
The band loves to perform bluegrass, gospel, blues and spread lots of smiles. They have been playing together for the last two years. The Moore Brothers bring a high-energy show to the stage.
At noon, Greg Conley and the Addie's Chapel Gospel Choir will bring their sounds of gospel music to the Gazebo Stage. Conley grew up in Marion singing with his family and is a local favorite. Singing together for more than 30 years, Addie's Chapel is a local gospel choir that will warm your heart and lift your spirit. The choir members do a variety of gospel music and hymns.
The band Rewind will take the Gazebo Stage at 2 p.m. This group presents a professional, energetic performance that is sure to fill the dance floor. Their song list features classics by Jimmy Buffet, Elvis Presley, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, Ray Price, Alan Jackson, Dwight Yoakam, Delbert Mclinton, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones as well as newer artists such as Billy Currington, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Joe Nichols, Keith Urban and more.
The members of Rewind have played together for the past four years. All of the members are from McDowell County. Rewind consists of Roger Duncan on drums and vocals, David McPeters on bass and vocals, Jack Freck on rhythm guitar and vocals, Sam Buckner on lead guitar and vocals, Eual Owens on lead guitar, lap steel and vocals.
More entertainment will be at the Family Stage, located at the courthouse lawn.
The popular Best Dressed Pet Contest will start at 11 a.m. A delightful part of every Mountain Glory festival, pet owners bring their cats and dogs dressed up in colorful costumes. An all-time favorite was the goat dressed as a ballerina. The contest is sponsored by Creative Framing & Awards Gallery.
Little Miss McDowell Cheyenne Matson and Jordan Miller, Teen Miss Elite High Country, will entertain the crowd starting at noon in front of the courthouse.
The Foothills Community Band is scheduled to perform at 1 p.m. on the courthouse lawn. The band is a group of volunteer instrumental musicians who meet every Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the McDowell High band room. The community band performs a variety of concerts spanning a range of musical styles and time periods. It has performed at previous Fourth of July celebrations and Mountain Glory festivals.
Starting at 2 p.m., folks can enjoy the music of Common Ground at the Family Stage. This is the featured house band at the Marion Depot's Thursday night bluegrass jam. Common Ground has more than 50 years of combined playing experience. Band members are Jeff Etheridge on lead guitar, Mike Ennis on lead vocals, Gerald Lavender on upright bass, Carson Gibson on the banjo and Gordon Hensley on the mandolin. "You will hear great mountain music from this band," read a news release from the city.
The Gospel Music Stage will be located in the Greenlee Theater at the McDowell Arts Council Association center. The men's quartet Purpose will sing starting at 10 a.m. The Blairs are scheduled to sing at 11 a.m. The group IV Grace will take the MACA stage at noon and Jamie Gettys will perform at 1 p.m. Singers from the State Street Church of God will perform at 1:30 p.m. followed by Glory Road at 2 p.m.
All day long, the group Sacred Winds will perform traditional American Indian music in front of the MACA center.
The members of Sacred Winds have grown up making arts and crafts in New Mexico. They have grown up making arts and crafts, learning from their families and elders from many tribes of the Southwest. The group has recorded several CDs of soft Native American, gospel and contemporary instrumental flute music. "People enjoy the haunting sounds of these flutes and it is very relaxing and peaceful music for the patrons of the fairs," read a news release from the city.
The members of Sacred Winds use many natural stones from the Southwest area, mainly turquoise. They find clay and rivercane for the flutes along the rivers, and the cedar wood for the Plains flute comes from the mountains of New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona. Most of their time is spent outside making our jewelry and flutes.

The festival is sponsored by the city of Marion. For more festival information visit, www.mtngloryfestival.com or call 652-3551 or 652-2215.