Posted By Jim on August 1, 2009

Since 2003, Doc and Richard Watson have been good neighbors and friends to the Ashe County community of Todd, just across the ridge from Deep Gap. Every August, they have played on the stage at Walter and Annie Cook Memorial Park in the middle of Todd’s historic district. Each year, thousands of fans and friends from near and far have filled the little park with their enthusiasm and love for one of our national treasures.

Like all of the preceding events, Doc Watson’s concert in Todd on Saturday, August 22, is a fundraiser for community projects and the James “Crow” Parsons Memorial Fund. As such, it will help to support the nonprofit Todd Community Preservation Organization in its efforts to sustain the community without destroying its unique character.

Each year, too, Doc’s Todd concert has showcased other local musicians, from Alternate Roots and Amantha Mill to Buck Haggard and Southeast Express, presenting a full afternoon of outstanding music in a beautiful rural setting. This year’s opening bands are Lost Ridge Band at 3 p.m. and Backstreet at 4 p.m.

The concert will again be dedicated to the memory of James Parsons, who was part of music in Todd from its very beginnings. Although James is now gone, the Memorial Fund is being built to finance future summer concerts at Cook Park. A pickle jar in the Todd Mercantile Bakery collects change and dollars for the fund, and the pickle jar is passed around during the Saturday afternoon concerts to help the memorial fund grow. TCPO, the nonprofit community organization, also seeks larger contributions to permanently endow the fund to provide dependable financing for the music series that James Parsons helped bring to Todd.

This year’s series is partially supported by a grant from the North Carolina Rural Center’s NC STEP program, of which Todd is a part along with West Jefferson. TCPO applied for the grant through HandMade in America as part of a High Country cluster of communities working together to revitalize and sustain their economies while preserving their cultural and historical roots. The series also received a grant from the Grassroots Arts Program of the NC Arts Council, a state agency, and a Community Arts Program grant from the Ashe County Arts Council.

Tickets to the concert are $15 or $17 for credit card purchases. Children under 12 are admitted free. Only 1,500 tickets are available, that number being the capacity of Cook Memorial Park in the middle of Todd’s historic district. In addition to ticket sales, sponsors have come forward, helping to underwrite some of the concert expense and leaving more for the memorial fund. Among this year’s sponsors are the Kevin and Susan McCarter Family and Nan Wyatt.

The logistics of having 1,500 people in Todd at one time are challenging but not impossible. Close-in parking is provided by the youth of South Fork Baptist Church, raising funds for a mission trip. Other parking is in a nearby field with free shuttle service. Attendees bring their own chairs or blankets and umbrellas in case of late-day showers. Snacks and drink are available at a tent in Cook Park, as well as from the nearby Todd General Store and Todd Mercantile Bakery. Well-behaved pets are allowed, but no alcohol.

The entire Todd summer music series, and especially Doc’s concert, is very much a community undertaking, involving many hours and days of volunteer work in addition to financial contributions and sponsorships. People are needed to set up tents, park cars, collect tickets, sell food and clean up afterwards. Anyone who can spare a couple of hours to help make the concert a success is invited to email info@toddnc.org or call 336-877-5401. Setup will be on Friday, August 21.

Tickets are available at Todd General Store, Todd Mercantile (taking credit card orders), and RiverGirl Fishing Co. in Todd; the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce in Boone; and Ashe Visitor’s Center and BlueMoon Guitars in West Jefferson. If any tickets are left by the 22nd, they will be available at the gate. For more information, call 336-877-5401.

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: