Event:
Foothills Hayride at Jomeokee
at Jomeokee
Campground and Music Park, 3rd weekend in May.
Date:
3rd weekend
in May
Friday and
Saturday. Please check web site below for
hours.
Type:
Bluegrass and old-time
music festival. Bring lawn chairs; concessions and
camping available.
Opportunities for
Participation:
Audience members are encouraged to participate.
Attendees can participate in campground picking
circles.
Location:
Exit 129 off Hwy 52 in Pinnacle (Perch Road,
Pinnacle, NC 27043)
Click here for a map.
Cost:
Please check web site below
Parking:
Free. Accessible for
bus tours.
Special Needs Access:
Yes. There are handicapped-accessible bathrooms and
shower house.
Signage:
Signs at major
intersections read “Jomeokee Music Festival”
Sponsors: Stokes
County Arts Council and variety of area businesses
Web Site:
www.foothillshayride.com
Contact:
Stokes Arts Council
(336) 593-8159
E-mail:
Stokesarts@co.stokes.nc.us
Description of
Event: The
Jomeokee Music Festival features national and local
acts in a beautiful setting all weekend.
History of
Site/Event:
Gray McGee and the Pinnacle Volunteer Fire
Department began hosting a fiddlers’ convention at
the local school in the 1960s. The festival moved
to Jomeokee Park in 1975 when bluegrass pioneer and
legend, Lester Flatt, bought the property. Flatt
held festivals there each summer until 1979, when
he sold the property. In the late '80s and '90s,
Jomeokee was site to the WTQR radio family reunion,
which featured top-line Nashville country acts. In
2006, Ralph McGee began the next era of musical
events at the site where Gray McGee began over 40
years ago.
Description of
Site/Facility:
Beautiful Pilot
Mountain is directly behind the stage, which sits on
a natural amphitheater. Pilot Mountain State Park
is nearby. Jomeokee means “great
guide” or
“pilot” from the language of the Saura Indians, who
once inhabited this scenic area.
Significance of
Site/Event to the Community: Jomeokee
Park is a significant part of the area’s traditional
music history, and over the years, some of the best
bluegrass acts in the region and country have played
here. With help from the Stokes County Arts Council
and the current owners of the park, event organizer
Ralph McGee has resurrected and preserved this
important part of the region’s rich musical
heritage.
###
PHOTOS
courtesy Ralph King and
www. jomeokee.net
