News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Rhythm & Brews, Train Tales, Bells Across America

Mike and the Moonpies headline Thursday's Rhythm & Brews concert downtown.

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 13, 2021

Mike and the Moonpies headline Rhythm & Brews

The 2021 Rhythm & Brews Concert Series will put on its third show of the season on Thursday, Sept. 16, with the Kenny George Band opening at 5:30 p.m. followed by headliner Mike and the Moonpies at 7: 30.

The concert series includes the Hands On! Kids Zone and for adults a beer and wine garden featuring locally crafted drinks from Sierra Nevada, Triskelion Brewing Co., Guidon Brewing Co., Oklawaha Brewing Co., D9 Brewing Co., Dry Falls Brewery, Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards, Flat Rock Cider Company and Bold Rock Hard Cider. Food is available for purchase from local food trucks.
Once celebrated as Austin's premiere dancehall band, the Moonpies have spent years expanding their reach far beyond the Lone Star State. Geographically, they'll always be a Texas band. Musically, they've grown into much more than that, having traded the two-steppin' twang of their earlier years for a diverse sound that's both fresh and familiar. That sound has earned the group an international following, and it was during a European tour that the bulk of their recent album Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold was created — in the same world-renowned, London-area recording studio where the Beatles recorded Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Ban¬d and Pink Floyd tracked Dark Side of the Moon.
"Every time we've taken a step forward, it's a result of us refusing to become stagnant," says founder Mike Harmeier, who's joined by longtime bandmates Zach Moulton on pedal steel, guitarist Catlin Rutherford, bassist Omar Oyoque, keyboardist John Carbone, drummer Kyle Ponder and producer/collaborator Adam Odor.
The opener made up of Kenny George (lead guitar, vocals, songwriter), Randy Borawski (drums, harmony vocals), Center Ely (steel guitar) and Brooks Andrews (bass) performs an average of 150 to 180 shows a year in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Missouri, reconnecting with their fervent followers and picking up new fans along the way.
New this year, the R&B Super Fan Tent provides an enhanced experience with a shaded viewing area including beer, wine and light refreshments. Individuals can become R&B Super Fans for $100 donation per show, with proceeds going to the nonprofit Friends of Downtown Hendersonville, which organizes Rhythm & Brews. The package includes two Super Fan Tent wristbands and two R&B season t-shirts. Visit the event website for more information on how to become a Super Fan. The Super Fan Tent is supported by Bryan ‘b2’ Byrd, Realtor with Keller Williams Mountain Partners.
The 2021 Rhythm & Brews season wraps up on Oct. 21 with The Broadcast as headliner and opening act by Human Ladder & Friends.

Train Tales is Friday night

SALUDA — Author, aeronautical engineer and piano tuner Garland Goodwin will open the 2021 Saluda Train Tales series at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17, with his tales of the railroad and people of Saluda and Polk County.
“I have many fond memories of a childhood filled with railroading lore, fascinating for this youngster, who had become fearless instead of frightened,” he says.

Born in Durham, Garland grew up in Tryon where he started first grade at Tryon School in 1936 and at the age of 10 worked for Seth Vining, founder of the Tryon Daily Bulletin. After serving in the Air Force, getting an education and working for a variety of companies in the aeronautical field, and raising adopted children Sharon and Thomas, Garland retired in 1988 as an aeronautical engineer. He and his wife, Fran, returned to Columbus where he built the family’s dream home in Holly Hill. Garland served eight years as the president of the Polk County Historical Museum Association, and currently writes the column Remember When for Tryon Daily Bulletin and has written six books.

Saluda Train Tales is a free monthly event to educate the community in the importance of Saluda's railroad history and the Saluda Grade. The talks are at the Saluda Historic Depot, 32 W Main Street, Saluda. Due to Covid-19 CDC guidelines to stay six feet apart, seating is limited to 30 guests and organizers ask that attendees wear a mask. The event will be videoed and available on SaludaHistoricDepot.com/events.

Fire department honors Martin

The Hendersonville Fire Department invites the community to celebrate the career of engineer Terry Martin at a drop-in celebration from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Sept. 17. Community members can drive-thru or drop by the red fire department tent in the Blue Ridge Mall parking lot located at 1800 Four Seasons Blvd.

“Engineer Martin has been serving the Hendersonville community for four decades,” said Hendersonville Fire Chief D. James Miller. “He has helped countless people over the years and has enriched the lives of our de-partment members who have had the privilege to serve alongside him.”

Since 1985, Engineer Martin has served with the Hendersonville Fire Department providing fire protection to residents and visitors. Even before he joined HFD as the department’s first African American firefighter, Terry worked for the City’s Public Works Department starting employment in 1981 after graduating from East Hen-derson High School and serving in the Army National Guard. Over his long career, he has served under five Mayors and has seen many advancements in the fire service.

Terry Martin has earned a special place in the Hendersonville Fire Department’s history. He has also served the Green River and Valley Hill fire departments outside of his service to the City of Hendersonville. In his free time, Terry trains his own bird dogs, hunts, and is an avid fly fisherman.

Bells Across America ring for Constitution

The Joseph McDowell Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution will gather at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17 at the Historic Courthouse Plaza to participate in Bells Across America. Bells will sound for a full minute across America at 4 p.m. to commemorate the 234rd anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, on Sept. 17, 1787. The celebration will occur at the same time across America with each time zone adjusting its time so that it will be happening simultaneously.
Historian Don Hendrix will be the speaker. Mayor Barbara Volk will present a proclamation proclaiming Sept. 17-23 Constitution Week in the City of Hendersonville. Taking part in the ceremony will be a descendant of one of the signers of the Constitution and the Blue Ridge Chapter Sons of American Revolution.
The tradition of the ringing of bells on Constitution Day is significant. After four months of heated debate, the delegates reached an agreement on September 17, 1787. When they emerged from Independence Hall at 4:00, all the church bells in Philadelphia were ringing to celebrate the signing of the Constitution.
This celebration of the Constitution was started by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1955 when the DAR petitioned Congress to set aside September 17-23 annually to be dedicated for the observance of Constitu-tion Week. The resolution was later adopted by the U.S. Congress and signed into public law on August 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.