The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Life!

September 5, 2010

Two free concerts planned this month at Camp Washington-Carver

For The Register-Herald



Camp Washington-Carver will present two days of musical entertainment Sept. 11 and Sept. 18. The one-hour concerts will take place in the Great Chestnut Lodge at 6 p.m. on both days. The performances are free and the public is invited to attend.

On Sept. 11, Matt Jones and The Road from Shady Spring will take the stage. The band plays traditional country music and, together, the members have more than 100 years of combined musical experience.

In April, they perform-ed at the memorial service for the miners who died at the Upper Big Branch mine, where Jones’ brother-in-law was one of the 29 who lost his life in the tragedy.

Jones began performing in a small church in his hometown of Shady Spring. In spring 2008, he fulfilled a lifelong dream when he was offered a sponsorship and recording opportunity in Nashville, Tenn. His debut album features traditional country and rock-a-billy songs.

Jones performs with The Road, a West Virginia band that includes Joe Dew, lead guitarist; Jeffrey Joe Buckland, bass guitarist; Larry Davis, steel guitarist; and Dale Chappell, drummer.

The following Saturday’s concert will feature Ethel Caffie-Austin of Dunbar, West Virginia’s “First Lady of Gospel Music.”

For more information about the free concerts, contact Jennifer Sharp, cultural program specialist, at 304-558-0220, ext. 171.

A beautiful retreat listed in the National Register of Historic Places and operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Camp Washington-Carver serves as the state’s mountain cultural arts center. The facility nurtures the cultural heritage embodied in the site since its dedication in 1942 as a 4-H and agricultural extension camp for West Virginia’s African Americans.

The camp is located in Fayette County adjacent to Babcock State Park, just off U.S. 60 (Midland Trail) on W.Va. 41.

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