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Event/Site: Tommy Jarrell Festival
Date: Last weekend in February (weekend prior to and/or including March
1, Tommy's birth date.)
Thursday 10:00am—10:00pm;
Friday 10:00am—10:00pm;
Saturday 9:00am—10:00pm.
Type: Three-day tribute to late old-time stringband legend Tommy Jarrell and his music
featuring a variety of activities and some of the areas finest
musicians.
Location: Selected sites in
Historic Downtown Mount Airy.
Directions to Mt.
Airy Visitors
Center, 615 North Main Street, one block from center of town:
From
Highway 52 South (Winston-Salem): Take Hwy. 52 N. to Business 52. (This road becomes Renfro St.)
Follow Renfro just beyond Independence
Blvd., turn sharp
left onto N. Main St. Mount Airy Visitors Center, 615 N. Main St., is a two-story
blue house on the right side of the street.
From
Highway 52 North (Virginia): Take Hwy
52 S. to the Hwy. 89 Exit. Turn left onto Pine St./Hwy.
89. Follow Pine to Renfro
St., turn left. Follow Renfro just beyond Independence Blvd., turn sharp left onto N. Main St. Mount Airy
Visitors Center, 615 N.
Main St., is a two-story blue house on the
right side of the street.
From I-77: Exit 100
to Hwy. 89 East. Turn left onto Pine St./Hwy.
89. Follow Pine to Renfro
St., turn left. Follow Renfro just beyond Independence Blvd., turn sharp left onto N. Main St. Mount Airy
Visitors Center, 615 N.
Main St., is a two-story blue house on the
right side of the street.
From I-74: Take
Exit 101 to Mount Airy. Take Exit 11 to Hwy. 601. Turn left onto Hwy 52
N. Take the Hwy. 89 Exit. Go straight at stoplight onto Pine Street.
Follow Pine to Renfro St.,
turn left. Follow Renfro just beyond Independence Blvd., turn sharp left onto N. Main St. The Mount Airy
Visitors Center, 615 N. Main St., is a two-story
blue house on the right side of the street. Click
here for a map.
Cost: $5 to
Tommy Jarrell birthday concert; $4 Friday night Dance; $10 Tommy
Jarrell Birthday Concert. Prices
to other events vary.
Parking: Free
on street and in lots. Parking
adequate for bus tours.
Special Needs Access: No
handicap accessible restrooms in cinema, but are available in downtown
area.
Signage: Signs at locations and en route to Historic Downtown Mount Airy
and the Mount
Airy Visitors
Center.
Sponsor: Surry Arts Council
Web
Site: www.surryarts.org
Contact:
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Mt. Airy CoC, Tourism Dept
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PO Box 913
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220 N. Main St.
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Mount Airy, NC
27030
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(336) 786-6116
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(800) 948-0949
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tourism@visitmayberry.com
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Tanya Rees, Executive Director
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Surry Arts Council
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PO Box 141
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Mount Airy, NC 27030
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(336) 786-7998
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(800) 286-6193
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surryarts@advi.net
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Description of Event: This
three-day event is geared toward old-time stringband
musicians and fans who are familiar with the
late Tommy Jarrell and his work.
It is also welcoming to newcomers who want to learn more about
the Surry
County native
whose name became synonymous with old-time stringband
music beginning in the 1960s.
The festival features videos and films on Mr. Jarrell and the
old-time stringband tradition of his region;
music demonstrations, jams, and performances; craft demonstrations; an
18-and-under music talent show; and square dancing.
Jarrell, who was born
in 1901 and lived until 1985, came from a family of fiddle players from
the Round Peak community in Surry County. Over his lifetime, he became known locally,
regionally, nationally, and internationally. His fiddle is on display at the
Smithsonian Institute in Washington,
D.C.
History of Site/Event: The
Surry Arts Council began this event in 2003 to celebrate the 100th
birthday of the late Tommy Jarrell and to honor his memory. The event was a success, so Surry
Arts decided to make it an annual event.
Description of Site/Facility: The
festival takes place at various sites in downtown Mount Airy,
including the Downtown Cinema Theatre and the Andy Griffith
Playhouse. For added information
on Tommy Jarrell, check out the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History
on Main Street. Downtown Mount
Airy typifies small town America
as exemplified in native son’s Andy Griffith’s TV
show. The “Mayberry”
theme is evident in various shops and restaurants along the
town’s charming Main
St.
Significance of Site/Event to the
Community: Jarrell, a
national folk award winner for his distinctive “Round Peak”
style of fiddling, brought world-wide attention to Surry County. Surry County
natives do a fine job of keeping his memory and influence alive, and
this festival adds recognition and emphasis to one of the
region’s brightest cultural treasures.
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