The Rowan Blues and Jazz Society will sponsor the 10th Annual Blues and Jazz Festival on Saturday, October 11th in Downtown Historic Salisbury, NC.

Featured artists and performers include:

Ladies auxiliary Blues Band, Greensboro

Big Bill Morganfield, Atlanta

Blazing Bob Paolino, Salisbury

Joe Robinson Jazz Band, Winston Salem

With "Special Attraction" performer Homemade Jamz Blues Band, Tupelo MS.

So bring out your blankets and comfortable chairs to Downtown Historic Salisbury and enjoy a jazz filled day! For more information contact Eleanor Qadirah of the Rowan Blues and Jazz Society at 704-636-2811 or visit the Rowan Blues and Jazz Society website.

Country Days will kick-off in Seagrove on Thursday, September 18th. Bring the whole family out and enjoy carnival rides, live music and dancing, arts and crafts, and a parade on Saturday.

D.T. Grass from Burlington will be performing on Friday from 6-10 p.m. Saturday's annual parade will begin at 2pm led by Fox 8 News anchor Julie Luck as the grand marshal.

For more information on County Days including a schedule of events, performers, and vendors check out this article in the Courier Tribune.

The 3rd Annual Uwharrie Mountain Festival, celebrating the ancient mountain range of the same name, will take place on October 11, 2008. Held in the Montgomery County community of Eldorado, festivities will also be taking place at Kings Mountain Point, a newly developed recreational day use area in the Badin Recreation Area in the Uwharrie National Forest.

The festival will also host the Annual Central Park Century Ride taking riders along the region's scenic roads along the edge of the Sandhills and north into Randolph County as far as Pisgah Covered Bridge. Other active events include the Uwharrie Mountain Festival 5-Mile Trail Run. Click the provided link for more information about these events including how to register.

This festival doesn't short change you-beginning at 9 a.m. with activities and events like a canoe adventure race, lumberjack competition, geocaching, and a wine tasting way up into the wee hours of the afternoon (about 6 p.m.). Of course, no festival is complete without live music and vendors galore and the Uwharrie Mountain Festival will offer both.

For more information on the Uwharrie Mountain Festival including event schedules, registration, directions, and contacts click the linked text above. For a recap of the 2nd Annual Uwharrie Mountain Festival, check out this Montgomery Herlad article written by Marla Coulthard.

If you're looking for a family fun event with a little spark, check out the annual Denton Autumn Festival on September 6th. Festivities kick-off at 9 a.m. with a parade followed by the presentation of local awards including: Citizen of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

So what if you're not a Dentonian nominated for one of these awards? Don't be sad because the fun doesn't end with the awards. Throughout the day, festivalgoers will enjoy shopping at a wide variety of vendor booths showcasing crafts, jewelry and other merchandise as well as yummy sweets and tasty treats.

The Voltage Brothers, set to take the stage at 12 p.m. for a two hour performance, are sure to provide an "electrifying" show but don't fear gray skies! Performing the hits of legends such as Earth, Wind, and Fire, Jackson 5, and Stevie Wonder- will keep the crowd on their feet for sure! So dust off those dancing shoes and witness "America's Number One Show Band,"as they take the crowd on a time-travel from 1920 into the new millennium with everything from Swing to Motown, Disco to Rhythm & Blues - and definitely some good ole Carolina Beach music! Admission is FREE!

For more information about the Denton Autumn Festival, contact the Denton Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information about The Voltage Brothers, click here.

Ann at Rising Meadow Farm wrote to me this week to tell me a bit about the sixth annual Farm Fest event on their farm in Liberty (Randolph County.)

Ann writes, "Farm Fest is a Celebration of the Fiber Arts and Good Living! Everything is homemade, handmade, homegrown, etc. I believe this is the only fiber-connected event in central North Carolina."

"All of the most popular fiber animals will be here. Sheep, llamas, and angora goats from Rising Meadow Farm, Alpacas from Caraway, Alpacas in Asheboro, NC and angora rabbits from Avillion Farm in Efland, NC. There will be numerous fiber artists here, some as vendors and others demonstrating their craft."

"There are also a number of other fine artisans - potters, wood carvers, jewelry makers, soap makers, etc. This provides a fabulous opportunity to see how things are made and certainly to purchase some of the crafts. It's a great chance to do some unique gift shopping!"

Ann says there will also be:

• Sheep Dog demonstrations
• live celtic music all day (featuring "Seamus Stout" from Texas and "Ashegrove" from Asheboro)
• fabulous food, starting with our Rising Meadow Lamb in several offerings, hamburgers from TT Grassfed Beef, and wonderful middle-eastern fare from Zaytoon Restaurant in Greensboro.
• ALSO, homemade cider from Windy Hill Orchards in VA, homemade Lemonade from Girl Scout Troop 578, ice cream from Homeland Creamery, homemade Cocoanut Cake and cookies, etc.

Sounds like a great event! There is a $5 admission and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket but leave the pets behind. Again, the event will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2008 from 10am to 4pm at Rising Meadow Farm ( 3750 Williams Dairy Rd. Liberty, NC 27298)

One of the biggest festivals in the area is the Farmer's Day Festival in Robbins and it kicks off this Thursday and runs through Saturday evening.

Routinely attracting 30,000 visitors over a three-day period the festival has music on multiple stages, a parade, rides, a climbing wall, a mechanical bull, guitar makers, metal engraving demonstrations, gunsmithing, a performance by a parachute jump team, and quite a bit more.

Fireworks are on Friday only and start at 10:15pm.

This festival is well worth a visit, you'll be amazed at how a town with a little over 1,100 residents can really come alive for three summer days. My wife and I experienced the Farmers Festival in Robbins last year without knowing what it was. On our way into town we saw people riding horses eating ice cream and realized that maybe something was a little different about that day. Although mobbed with people the event as we experienced it was lots of fun and we're looking forward to it again.

Hope to see you there.

The ripe time is now!

Groan if you will at that pun but the Candor Peach Festival is this weekend and it is time to grab life by the peaches. There will be lots of vendors and fresh fruits and vegetables, it looks like the weather will be perfect for a country festival.

The Montgomery Herald has all the details. For more information specific to Candor, NC visit their website.

Dust off those cameras, it is time to make some money by capturing the beauty of Davidson County on film.

The Tourism Recreation Investment Partnership (TRIP) of Davidson County is organizing the photo contest and handing out cash prizes from multiple sponsors according to TRIP executive director Jo Ellen Edwards.

"$75 cash prizes will be awarded to the best photos in these categories: heritage, landscapes, attractions or destinations and public events. $75 cash awards will also be given for the best student entry from those categories. To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Old Davidson County Courthouse on the Square, the Davidson County Historical Museum will also award a $75 prize for the best image of the building."

Seems like a nice opportunity to make some side cash while celebrating where you live and play. More information is available on the Davidson County TRIP website.

Why spend seven hours in traffic to get to the Outer Banks when Albemarle is bringing the beach to you?

The 16th Annual Beach Blast kicks off on Saturday, May 10th with food, activities, and music all afternoon and into the evening. The featured band, the Part Time Party Time Band will play from 7:30 to 11:00 pm. Activities for children start earlier, at 4pm, and food vendors will start just in time for a late lunch at 2pm.

Saturday looks like beautiful weather for all the events we've reported here - only 10% chance of rain and temperatures in the mid to high 70s.

A new one day festival is coming to the Central Park and making its debut Saturday, May 10th in Asheboro, NC. The Sunset Street Fesitval will be held on Sunset Street located in historic downtown Asheboro in Randolph County with festivities kicking-off at 9A.M. and the party doesn't stop until the break of dawn (or at least 6P.M.). Elements of the festival will include arts and crafts, a kids area, a farmer's market, live music, a car show, and Asheboro's very own spin-off of "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" called "Are You More Literate Than a Fifth Grader?"

The Sunset Street Festival is one of many events sponsored by Asheboro Parks and Recreation. For more information on the Sunset Street Festival including a complete listing of times of live performances, click here. Also, visit Asheboro Parks and Recreation website for more information on other sponsored events taking place like the Summer Music series.