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Boonerang Music & Art Festival | By Mark Freed
TOWN MOUNTAIN ALEXA ROSE
By Mark Freed
Have you ever Booneranged? Those who have spent time in Boone, left, only to return, can claim Boonerang status. This endearing term has been used in the High Country for decades. When an App State graduate returns to Boone later in life for her profession, she has Booneranged. When regular High Country visitors return each summer, they are Booneranging. Few who have spent time in Boone can resist the urge to Boonerang, and late spring in the High Country can be the best time of the year.
With the Boonerang theme and returning to the Carolina mountains in mind, the Town of Boone and Watauga County Arts Council present the inaugural Boonerang Music & Arts Festival on June 18, 2022, in downtown Boone. The event will include a number of bands with Boone roots and connections, vendor booths full of artists from the High Country, locally-made food and beverages, and a host of activities for people of all ages.
Music will be a primary focal point for the festival, and Boonerang will feature three primary stages for the acts, including a street stage on Depot Street, a stage at the Jones House Cultural Center, and performances at the historic Appalachian Theatre on King Street. Acts feature a wide array of styles including progressive bluegrass stalwarts Acoustic Syndicate, hard-driving pickers Town Mountain, rock-n-roll queen Melissa Reaves, sterling singer-songwriter Alexa Rose, Appalachian reggae band Chalwa, expert pickers Songs from the Road Band, banjo-led Tray Wellington Band, blues rockers The King Bees, rhythm and blues with Soul Benefactor, spirited gospel with the Junaluska Gospel Choir, and Boone’s indie rockers Naked Gods. A kick-off concert will take place at the Jones House on Friday night featuring Urban Soil Duo, WiseApple, and Lazybirds.
“Some of the members in these bands grew up in Boone, like Zach Smith of Town Mountain,” says the Town of Boone’s Cultural Resources Coordinator, Brandon Holder. “Others spent formative years in Boone as young musicians, and a bunch of the bands have members who went to school at App State.” Several of the bands are Boone-based, and WiseApple is making a special reunion appearance for the festival kick-off party on Friday.
In addition to the musical acts, the festival will feature a handmade arts market, sponsored by the Watauga County Arts Council. The market will feature local and regional artists, including a special kidsfocused marketplace.
Kids and families will also want to check out the lawn of the Watauga Public Library, where a Kids Zone will feature inflatables from Jump Boone, fun with Twist the Balloon Guy, face painting, and lawn games.
Many of the downtown Boone brickand-mortar businesses will be offering specials and bringing goodies and specials out onto the streets. The Rock Dimensions climbing wall in the Footsloggers courtyard will be active and will include some special juggling demonstrations. The Town of Boone’s sustainability efforts will be on display at the free car-charging stations behind Melanie’s Food Fantasy.
While the festival is in its first year of operation, the event planning group brings a lot of experience to the table and a number of local organizations and agencies. “We have had the good fortune of working with some of the Floydfest organizers,” Holder says. “And for anyone who has been to that festival, you know it is a topnotch event.”
The main festival will operate from noon until 8 p.m., but there will be lots more fun for those seeking nightlife. Most of the local bars and restaurants will feature specials and live music, and there will be an official Boonerang silent disco for those ready for more dancing.
Parking will be available around the festival, on Queen Street and on Appalachian State University’s campus. Depot Street will be closed from Rivers St. to King St., including the intersection at Howard Street. The Jones House Cultural Center will host a stage and food truck court in the back parking lot.
Some nightlife will require modest cover charges, but all of the daytime concerts and official Boonerang events are free for all.
The inaugural Boonerang Music & Arts Festival is presented by the Town of Boone and Watauga County Arts Council, with support from Explore Boone, the Downtown Boone Development Association, the Watauga County Economic Development Commission, and Double Wood Farm.
For more information on the festival, please visit www. boonerangfest.com or call 828-268-6280.
