Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/30175
Music Takes Center Stage at Festival What is a festival without great music? Thankfully we won’t have to fi nd out at this year’s Dogwood Festival. The festival runs April 29 - May 1 and is sure to be spectacular. Carrie King, the executive director of the festival, would not accept anything less. Country music lovers are in for a treat on Friday night when Jo Dee Messina takes the stage. She has charted nine Number One singles on the Billboard country music charts. She has been honored by the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She was the fi rst female country artist to score three multiple- week Number One songs from the same album. Her top hits include “I’m Alright,” “Bye, Bye,” “My Give a Damn’s Busted,” “Bring on the Rain” and “Heads Carolina, Tails California.” “She is huge. She’s had nine number one hits,” said King.“The second her name was brought to the table there was no one else to consider. She is an established artist. She has the hits ... the recognition. She is a tough woman too, and I love to see a female who can deliver — and she really seems like she can deliver. I think she is going to put on a fabulous show.” On Saturday, Everclear will rock festival park. The bands impressive opportunity to vote for their favorite band, that really tapped on a genre that we felt maybe we had been missing and that was that ‘90s-era group. So this year Everclear definitely taps into the folks that follow us on Twitter and are a part of the social media scene — a younger audience if you will.” Jo Dee Messina career spans more than a decade with hits like “Learning How To Smile,” “I Will Buy You A New Life,” “Summerland,” “Everything To Everyone,” “Wonderful, Father Of Mine,” “Rock Star” and “The Maple Song.” “Each year we are trying to feed a need in our community, and that is a genre, an age group. So obviously it is about bringing out the biggest groups that we can,” said King. “Last year when we gave everyone the Sunday, look for something new in Festival Park as the Dogwood Festival presents “Homegrown Live.” This concert will showcase Fayetteville’s fi ve best local bands. Rock 103 has taken on the daunting task of accepting applications from local bands and having a panel of judges choose the top 15, but it is the fans who have narrowed the category down to fi ve. They’ll be on stage from 1-6 p.m., ready to impress the crowds and let everyone know just why they were voted Fayetteville’s best bands. Visit rock103rocks.com to fi nd out more. The Bud Light Stage in Festival Park is not the only musical venue for the weekend though. On Hay Street, Cape Fear Musical Center is sponsoring a stage that will offer everything from a showcase of their talented students Brian Willoughby, the Combutibles, Flynt, Coleman and Stone, a UNCP Faculty Jazz Trio and The Phaxtion. The Hay Street stage will have performers on deck from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The concerts are all free and open to the public as part of the Dogwood Celebration. Garden Party to Benefi t Boys and Girls Club Children are one of our community’s greatest assets. But each day, many children go home alone, with no one to make them a snack or help them with their homework. For some of these children, a safe haven is the Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland County. Several years ago that safe haven was threatened when the club lost funding by the United Way. A reorganization of the club, its staff and board has the club back in the right direction and the support of the community is starting to fl ow. Last year, to help encourage people to support the club, a group of civic-minded individuals got together and planned the community’s fi rst Dogwood Festival Garden Party. The event was a hit, and this year it is back and better than ever. The Garden Party will take place on Friday, April 29 from 3-5 p.m. in Cross Creek Park on Green St. “It’s a great reason to get off work a little early and kick-off the Dogwood Festival in style,” said Jenny Beaver, one of the organizers of the event. Beaver said that in true garden party style, attendees are encouraged to break out their sundresses and hats and men can pull out their seer sucker suits for the event. The event will feature the band Groovetown, heavy hors d’oeuvres and beer and wine. Tickets to the event are $50 per person and can be purchased online at http://gardenparty.eventsbot.com. While you are out having fun, remember that all proceeds benefi t the club, which in turn, benefi ts our community. The Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland County, which was established in 1968, consists of four units: the Cumberland Road Unit, 3475 Cumberland Rd., the Rochester Unit, 1018 Rochester Dr., the J.S. Spivey Unit, 500 Fisher Rd., and the Spring Lake Unit, 245 Ruth Street. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM The club’s mission is to inspire all youth, especially those who need us the most to become productive, responsible and caring citizens. The organization empowers youth with a Youth Development Strategy which gives them a sense of belonging; sense of usefulness; sense of infl uence; and sense of competence. Programs offered by the club can be broken down into fi ve core areas: education and career development, health and life skills, character and leadership development, sports, fi tness and recreation and the arts. Locally, the club offers several national programs including: SMART Moves - To help young people resist the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and postpone sexual activity SMART Girls - To help girls develop and adopt a healthy attitude and lifestyle, as well as acquire and maintain a positive self-concept, sound decision- making skills and mentor relationships Street SMART - Enables participants to counteract the negative lure of gangs, develop effective confl ict resolution and leadership skills and become “positive peer helpers,” or role models, for other adolescents. Passport to Manhood - To teach and promote responsibility, reinforce positive behavior and develop character in adolescent males. Power Hour - To help young people develop academic, behavioral and social skills through homework completion. Project Learn - To reinforce the knowledge and skills youth learn in school by integrating fun, educational activities throughout Club programs. Triple Play - To improve Club members’ knowledge of healthy habits, good nutrition and physical fi tness; increase the numbers of hours per day they participate in physical activities; and strengthen their ability to interact positively with others and engage in healthy relationships. APRIL 27 - MAY 3, 2009 DOGWOOD FESTIVAL 5