The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

28th annual Seedtime Festival set for June 6-7 in Whitesburg




On June 6 and 7, Appalshop will host the 28th annual Seedtime on the Cumberland Festival, a celebration of traditional arts, mountain music and culture held every year in downtown Whitesburg.

This year’s event will be a jam-packed weekend with a variety of musical performances, local food, arts and crafts vendors, literary readings, workshops, film screenings, jam sessions and kids’ activities. Headliners include J.D. Messer and Sanctified, Lee Sexton, Town Mountain, The Empty Bottle String Band, Si Kahn, Kentucky Wild Horse, and Sparky and Rhonda Rucker. The entire lineup along with other information, can be viewed at www.seedtimefestival.org.

Seedtime 2014 will be a special celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Whitesburg-based record label, June Appal Recordings. Over the past four decades, June Appal’s 86 releases of traditional and contemporary Appalachian music have included artists who are famous and artists scarcely known outside their own communities, solo performers and bands, unaccompanied singers, instrumental virtuosos, string bands, and some artists who can fairly be called “legendary,” including six National Heritage Award winners. The festival will feature special performances by June Appal recording artists, an exhibit featuring photos, videos and art from the record label’s 40-year history, and will mark the release of two newly available June Appal Recordings.

Seedtime on the Cumberland began in 1987 as a way to promote the musical tradi- tions and cultural heritage of local people by providing a venue in the mountains for these artists to display, perform and share their work. Seedtime commonly features performances by old-time master musicians alongside sets by bluegrass groups, visual arts exhibits, and workshops that are fun for the whole family.

This year’s festival will begin on Friday, June 6, with festivities kicking off at 4 p.m. and music on stage at 5:30 p.m.. The festival will continue through Saturday night, with an evening performance from the Town Mountain String Band, followed by a special downtown edition of the Carcassonne Square Dance. Arts, crafts and food vendors will remain open throughout the festival, and a variety of special events will be held.

For a schedule of events and more detailed information, or for vending / sponsorship information, visit www.seedtimefestival.org, email seedtime@appalshop.org, or call the Appalshop at (606) 633-0108.



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