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Event/Site: WPAQ’s Merry-Go-Round & Jam Session in Mount Airy
Date: Saturdays from 9:00am—1:30pm.
Jam session from 9:00am—11:00am.
Live radio show from 11:00am—1:30pm.
Type: Jam session followed by live radio show in
front of audience, featuring regional old-time, bluegrass, gospel, and
country musicians.
Location: The Downtown Cinema
Theater, 142 Main Street
in Historic Downtown Mount Airy.
From Highway 52 South (Winston-Salem):
Take Hwy 52 to the traffic
light at Highway 601/Rockford Street (just after you cross Lovells Creek). Turn right onto Rockford Street and turn left on Graves Street
(just past the Andy Griffith Playhouse). Go straight at the light at
the bottom of the hill (free parking at the Municipal Lot
on right) and turn right on Franklin
Street and right at the light on Main Street.
The Downtown Cinema will be on your left.
From Highway 52
North (Virginia)
Take Hwy 52 to the traffic
light at Highway 601/Rockford Street (just past the Lowe's and Food Lion Shopping
Center). Turn left onto Rockford Street
and turn left on Graves
Street (just past the Andy Griffith
Playhouse). Go straight at the light at the bottom of the hill and
(free parking available at the Municipal Lot on right) and turn right
on Franklin Street and right at the light on Main Street. The Downtown
Cinema will be on your left.
From I-77:
Exit 100 to Highway
89 East into Mount Airy. Turn left at the traffic light onto Graves Street
(at Moody's Funeral Home). Free parking is available at the Municipal
Lot on the right or you can continue past the lot and turn right on Franklin Street
and right at the light on Main
Street. The Downtown Cinema will be on
your left.
From I-74:
Take Exit 11 to
Highway 601 into Mount Airy. Hwy 601 turns into Rockford Street. Turn left on Graves Street
(just past the Andy Griffith Playhouse). Go straight at the light at
the bottom of the hill (free parking available at the Municipal Lot on the right) and turn right on Franklin Street
and right at the light on Main
Street. The Downtown Cinema will be on
your left. Click here for a map
Cost: Free.
Parking: Free
on street and in nearby lots.
Parking adequate for bus tours.
Special Needs Access: Venue
is accessible, though restrooms are not. Nearby business establishments with
accessible restrooms welcome special needs visitors.
Signage:
Sign at location, not
en route. There are signs en route to Historic Downtown Mount Airy and to the
Mount Airy Visitors
Center.
Sponsor: The Surry
County Arts
Council and WPAQ
Web
Site: www.visitmayberry.com
www.surryarts.org
Contact:
Mt. Airy Chamber of Commerce,
Tourism Dept
PO Box 913
220 N. Main St.
Mount Airy, NC
27030
(336) 786-6116
(800) 948-0949
tourism@visitmayberry.com
Tanya Rees, Executive Director
Surry Arts Council
PO Box 141
Mount Airy, NC 27030
(336) 786-7998
(800) 286-6193
surryarts@advi.net
Mr. Kelly Epperson
WPAQ
316 Robin Road
Mount Airy, NC 27030
(336) 786-6111
kellyepperson@earthlink.net
Description of Event: The
jam session preceding the radio show showcases on stage local talent on
a first-come, first-serve basis. Enthusiastic local bands and
individuals perform old-time, bluegrass, gospel, and/or country music.
For the next two and
a half hours, visitors can enjoy WPAQ’s
“Merry-Go-Round” live radio show. Master of Ceremonies Clyde Johnson
hosts two featured bands each week.
The event is carried live on WPAQ 740 AM. The mood is friendly and festive, and
the music is toe-tapping and fun.
Audience members are sometimes invited to dance in front of the
stage. Usually, there is a jam
session on the balcony upstairs.
Snacks and refreshments are for sale at a snack bar in the
lobby.
History of Site/Event: The WPAQ “Merry-Go-Round” began
in 1948 and is the third-longest-running live radio show in the
nation. WPAQ founder and owner
Ralph Epperson has been deeply committed to broadcasting the best of
traditional mountain music since his station first went on the air in
1948. Over the years, numerous
regional and national music legends have performed on the show,
including Tommy Jarrell, Benton Flippen, The
Carter Family, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs,
and Bill and Charlie Monroe.
Description of Site/Facility: The Downtown Cinema Theatre, a cozy, vintage
1930s movie theater, seats approximately 450 people.
Significance of Site/Event to the Community: For over 50 years, WPAQ’s
Ralph Epperson has put live radio performances at the forefront of his
radio programming, making traditional mountain music prominent and
visible to residents of the region and visitors alike. Many people believe that stringband music remains as strong in Surry County
as in any other area in the Blue Ridge
region, due in no small part to WPAQ’s
exceptionally long commitment to showcasing the region’s
indigenous music traditions.
Reference Source: Tanya
Rees; Blue Ridge Music Trails
by Fred C. Fussell; Blue Ridge Music Trails Music Inventory for North Carolina
by Sally Council.
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