Women in the News Three women at the helm of organizing Antlers and Acorns songwriters festival
B
OONE — Three friends have come together to organize a new local festival featuring interactions with songwriters — the ones who write the hits — from across the country with Boone itself as the venue. Antlers and Acorns: The Boone Songwriters Festival is a production of Working Title Farm that will take place Sept. 9-11 with songwriters performing their songs and telling stories. Three women — Shari Smith, Nicole Sarrocco and Kim Bost — are leading the charge in creating this new Boone-area festival. Smith had the idea after going to Key West and writing about a songwriters music festival there for Broadcast Music Incorporated. One year when she was at the Key West music festival, Smith inquired with the event organizer how the festival got its start. “I kept thinking I could do this,” Smith said. “I’ve always been interested in who wrote the song. The idea of a songwriters festival just really appealed to me.” Smith brought the idea of a music festival back to Boone with the hope of enhancing the creative world that she already knew was in the area. She had a jumpstart on the idea, as she had already been using her home as a space for musicians to practice and write songs. She said she met with David Jackson, the president and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, to pitch her idea. Smith then needed help with getting a songwriters festival off of the ground, so she enlisted the help of her two friends. Bost was at the end of running for a North Carolina House of Representatives seat when Smith asked her to join the project with her. “I could think of nothing better,” Bost said. “Everything was going for the election and then to have this thing to look forward to is awesome.” Sarrocco on the other hand had
Smith said. “The deer leave their antlers, just finished a book and said she never the trees leave their acorns. I hope that envisioned herself being involved in a what these songwriters are leaving besongwriter festival. hind are these little gifts to song lovers.” “Everything has changed in such big As of early July, the festival had about ways that I’m just grateful to be involved 30 songwriters lined up to perform. The in something that we started planning festival was also planning to feature a during COVID-19,” Sarrocco said. “We Saturday Night said, ‘OK, we have Spotlight Show at got to do somethe Appalachian thing.’ We want to Theatre titled be ready to enter“Voices,” which tain people. We would showcase want to be ready an all female line to help shape what up. the literary world Sarrocco said and the music the festival is all world looks like about the audiwhen everybody’s ence being able to ready to be enterinteract with mutained again.” sicians in intimate The three are and deeper ways. from all over the “We were just state with Smith Nicole Sarrocco pictured with songwriters Eric Erdman and thinking what residing in Boone, Radney Foster. can we do to give Bost in Hickory people a chance and not just stand in and Sarrocco from Pittsboro. But despite line and shake someone’s hand,” Sarrocnot all being in the same geographic co said. “It’s just kind of a fun way to do location, they are still bound together. something with somebody that you like “One thing I think that really does and see another side of them.” unite us is that we’re not bound by any The Acorns and Antlers festival is artistic description,” Smith said. also being put on in association with The The three friends are all artists in their Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, the own ways with Smith and Sarrocco being Downtown Boone Development Assowriters while Bost is a more visual artist. ciation, the Blue Ridge Conservancy, That artist aspect came in mind when Booneshine Brewing Company and Lost deciding on a name for the festival: AntProvince Brewing Company. lers and Acorns. Smith said songwriters will perform “I love alliteration,” Smith said. “I was at locations in Boone including Lost trying to think about what September Province, Booneshine, the Appalachian means to me. How can I combine the Theatre and the Jones House. authentic outdoorsness of Boone and just The full schedule has not been rethis creativity, this music. On every one leased as of early July, but more informaof my hikes, I pick up all the acorns that tion on tickets and who will perform can land on the path and put them around my be found at antlersandacornsboone.com. house.” Acorns, along with antlers, are what — Moss Brennan get left behind in nature, Smith said. “It’s the things you leave behind,” July-August 2021 | 7
