Join us for a free evening of Appalachian Ghost Stories and Spooky Old Songs at one of the very oldest log structures in NC. We aren’t saying that the Old English Inn is haunted, but these hills are certainly full of stories about all kinds of things that can’t be explained. Featuring award-winning performers and host Brenda Sparks. Bring a chair or a blanket and join us on the lawn if you dare!
Based on feedback from last year, this year we will be offering TWO seatings, one at 6:30pm and one at 8:30pm (exact timing is still being finalized).
Parking: Some street parking is available beside the Old English Inn. Additional overflow parking at Trinity Episcopal Church (15 Hemlock Avenue in Spruce Pine) or at Ingles (125 Greenwood Road in Spruce Pine). If you park at Ingles, please park in the parking spots closest to English Woods Road.
ABOUT LAST YEAR’S PERFORMERS
Sheila Kay Adams: A seventh-generation Blue Ridge Mountains ballad-singer and storyteller, Sheila Kay is one of the best-known living ballad singers in North Carolina. Sheila Kay has also won countless awards and honors including the National Heritage Fellowship—the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts—and the prestigious North Carolina Heritage Award from the North Carolina Arts Council.
William Ritter: William was born and raised in Mitchell County, and has been soaking up tales, songs and tunes from old-time mountain storytellers for over a decade. He sings a number of songs dating back to the 1700's and earlier, many of which were sung in or around the Toe River Valley—including the original "Frankie Silver" ballad written in the 1830s. William plays banjo, fiddle, guitar, and other "string-ed things."
Donna Ray Norton: Donna ray is an eighth-generation ballad singer, the granddaughter of fiddler Byard Ray and Morris Norton, who played the banjo and mouth bow, daughter of singer Lena Jean Ray, and cousin to Sheila Adams and many other prominent Madison County musicians. Donna Ray was honored with the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Youth Award for Balladry.
***Please bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on.
