The Day We Walked on the Moon, Raffle, Concerts & More!
Bristol, Tenn./Va. (June 28, 2019) – Relive – or experience for the first time – the excitement of the Apollo 11 Moon landing on the 50th anniversary of that historic occasion! As an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum has the unique opportunity to partner with their friends at the Smithsonian on a plethora of exciting projects, including this one. On Thursday, July 25, they will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, alongside 50 other Smithsonian affiliates, with a special screening of Smithsonian Channel‘s new documentary The Day We Walked on the Moon. This event is free and open to the public, but visitors are asked to RSVP on the Events page at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org. Additional free screenings will be held July 20 for those who cannot attend the anniversary event.
Broadcasting live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Radio Bristol’s heartwarming Farm and Fun Time live variety show returns July 11 with new musical guests and the same homespun humor that continues to sell out the 100-seat Performance Theater month after month. Performers include Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys and Kelsey Rae; host Kris Truelsen and his house band Bill & the Belles will also perform their beloved segues and vintage sponsor jingles.
Songwriter, producer, music director, musicologist, and architect behind the rebirth of Lower Broadway and the global neo-traditional country music movement, Chuck Mead is also known as co-founder of the 1990s alternative quintet BR5-49. Since leaving the band, Chuck has appeared at the Grand Ole Opry 137 times and toured the globe.
Southwest Virginia native Kelsey Rae now calls Nashville her home, and she’s creating quite a buzz with her style of 1950s pop country. With a sound reminiscent of Patsy Cline and Kitty Wells, Kelsey Rae’s song “This Old Town” was a Richard Leigh Songwriting Festival contest winner.
Tickets to be part of the studio audience at Farm and Fun Time are $30, and the show may be accessed online at ListenRadioBristol.org. The station may also be accessed through its free mobile app.
Back by popular demand, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum will hold a Square Dance in its Special Exhibits Gallery on July 13. Caller Tyler Hughes will lead the crowd in dancing during this free event. Participants are asked to please RSVP online at the Events page at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org; attendees are also asked to wear sturdy, comfortable shoes (no heels please!) to protect the wooden floor in the gallery. This is an event the whole family will enjoy, so kick up your heels and prepare for a stompin’ good time!
Pick Along Summer Camps at the museum in July are “all full up,” but kids are welcome to practice their skills at the monthly Community Jam on July 20. It’s a safe space where musicians of all ages and skill levels come together to learn and have fun. Monthly jams at the museum take place every third Saturday of the month from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; we also welcome audiences to stop by just to listen! There is no charge for this event, and it is open to the public.
Audiences are also invited to attend a Radio Bristol Session in the Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music for an hour-long live, on-the-air performance and interview with The McLain Family Band on Friday, July 26 at 2:00 p.m. Since 1968 the McLain Family has made their mark on contemporary Appalachian music by touring the world as music ambassadors of the U.S. Department of State. The group has also made appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Lincoln Center. If you can’t be in the studio audience, you are invited to tune in through the WBCM Radio Bristol mobile app or online at ListenRadioBristol.org.
During the month of July the Special Exhibits Gallery at the Birthplace of Country Music will be dark in preparation for an exciting new installation coming in August. Mark your calendars now to attend American Ballads: The Photographs of Marty Stuart, coming to the museum on August 1. This stunning display includes intimate behind-the-scenes depictions of legendary musicians, images of eccentric characters from the back roads of America, and dignified portraits of members of the Lakota tribe in South Dakota – a people introduced to Stuart by his former father-in-law, Johnny Cash.
In addition to all the cool things happening in Historic Downtown Bristol, the Birthplace of Country Music, parent nonprofit of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival, and WBCM Radio Bristol, has announced a big fundraiser for the museum – and it involves giving away $250,000 in cash and prizes!
The Bristol Sessions Super Raffle is now under way, and lucky winners could walk away with a new car or truck, an all-inclusive trip to Jamaica, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and much, much more! To purchase a raffle ticket, see contest rules, and view all the wonderful prizes, visit BristolSessionsSuperRaffle.org. The drawing will be held September 22, 2019; you don’t have to be present to win.
For a complete list of events and a comprehensive look at everything the Birthplace of Country Music has to offer, click here.