Common Thread

So, what do Carolina Chocolate Drops, Train, Fantasia and the Avett Brothers all have in common? Yes, many of you would say the 53rd annual Grammy Awards this past weekend....while true, that is not the only common thread among these musicians.

What ties them to each other for Greensboro is the Fun Fourth Festival!  Yep, that's right!

Train -- 2010 Grammy Winner, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Performed at the 1999 Fun Fourth Festival -- Saturday, July  3 @ 5pm. Maybe you were there --  in the Depot parking lot enjoying their music?

Fantasia -- 2010 Grammy Winner, Best Female R & B Vocal Performance. Performed at the 2003 Fun Fourth on the 97.1 Stage with the band Infinity -- Maybe you were there -- on Washington Street enjoying her vocals?

Avett Brothers -- 2011 Grammy Performer -- also a 2003 Fun Fourth Performer on the Backporch of Blandwood!  Maybe you were there -- sitting on the back lawn of Blandwood Mansion enjoying their tunes?

Carolina Chocolate Drops -- 2010 Grammy Winner for Best Traditional Folk Album. In 2008 they performed at the Fun Fourth Festival Heritage Day @ Blandwood.  Maybe you were there, sitting on the front lawn, under the shady trees listening to the Carolina Chocolate Drops?

Which 2011 Fun Fourth Festival band will be the next Grammy winner and where will you be when they are performing at the Fun Fourth Festival?

It's a Party!

The Fun Fourth Festival Kick-Off Block Party helps to pay for the very needed but very unglamorous items for the Street Festival -- port-a-johns, insurance and trash crew! All things that all good events need. In fact the poster in our office says"Where are the Port-a-Johns?" Because no matter how hard you try...sometimes the port-a-john delivery folks just don't get them in the correct spot.

But I digress, back to the Block Party. This year we will start at 7:15pm with some Classic Beach tunes from The Extraordinaires -- make sure you bring your dancing shoes because it will be Classic Beach from start to finish. At 9:15pm Nantucket will take the stage to keep the party going!



Bring your money for your beer and your raffle tickets! You could win the 50/50 raffle (another way to raise money for the port-a-johns!)

Hey, and while you're at it bring a canned good or two to donate to the Urban Ministry Food Bank. Its all for a good cause -- plus it will be a great time!! Hope to see you there!!
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Big Fat Gap

Back porch bluegrass band Big Fat Gap has no plans to take Nashville by storm. Some of them even have day jobs. They just like to pick, they like each other, and it shows. Their shows are known to be excellent for those who enjoy sweet three part harmonies, smoking solos, and captivating stage dynamics. Their fun performances bring loyal fans back for more.

They got their name from one of the few remaining stands of old growth virgin forest in western North Carolina located in the Big Fat Gap in Graham County near the Tennessee border. They are Miles Andrews on lead vocals and Bass, Rick Hauchman on mandolin & vocals, Andy Thorn on banjo, Bobby Britt on fiddle and Jamie Griggs on Guitar.

Learn more about the band on their website or take a listen to them on Myspace!

If you like what you hear, come on down to the Fun Fourth Festival and see them perform. Saturday, July 3, 3pm on Stage 1. It'll be hot ... bring your beer money!!
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In foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy Philadelphia!

Many years ago, during one of my family's summer vacation road trips, we stopped for a couple days in Philadelphia. I don't remember much about Philly, except that it was very, very hot, and that we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe and I got a shirt. The main reason for our stop there was to visit Independence Hall, and it definitely didn't disappoint. When we looked in the room where the Continental Congress met, I thought, "It looks just the way it's supposed to." When we walked through the lobby, I pointed at the stairs and said to my dad, "Look, that's where Franklin, Jefferson and Adams sang about the egg! And that's where they did the kick line down the stairs!"

In case you were wondering, yes, I'm aware that the Founding Fathers did not sing or dance down stairs (or did they?). But when we were wandering around Independence Hall, as amazing as it was to be in the place where some of the most important events in our nation's history took place, a good chunk of my excitement came from my recognition of the surroundings. I'd never been to Independence Hall before, but I had seen the movie 1776 more times than I can count.



1776 is a musical that tells the story of how the Declaration of Independence came to be written and ratified. The movie adaptation of this Tony Award-winning show is one of my all-time favorites, because it caters to my inner musical theatre nerd as well as my history nerd side.

The Fun Fourth Festival is proud to present 1776 on stage at the Carolina Theatre on July 1st, 2nd and 4th, and I, for one, cannot wait to see it. Directed by JP Swisher, the show will feature some of the finest actors in the Triad, and will certain-LEE (see below...hehe!) be an entertaining and educational experience for everyone.

The Beauty of YouTube

What I love about YouTube is that you can search for anything and find a video regarding it! My favorite musician: Lyle Lovett



How to tie a tie: (almost 3 million views)



Or Fun Fourth in Greensboro....enjoy some of these videos that we found while searching the internet.












I'm sure as I continue to search I will discover more items of interest posted on YouTube! If you have any videos of Fun Fourth or other Downtown Greensboro events please feel free to send them along to us for posting! Enjoy.
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