Appalachian Visions Series Presents Spring Festival
April 1, 2004

Enjoy the arts, history, and music of the southern highlands as Mountain State University's acclaimed Appalachian Visions series presents its annual Spring Festival on Saturday, April 17, beginning at 5 pm. A perfect springtime family event, the festival is free and open to the public. It will be held in Carter Hall on the MSU campus, with ample parking available nearby.

Booths, demonstrations, and displays will feature some of the area's best artisans in ceramics, woodworking, and baskets. Local author Thurman Miller will sign copies of his second volume of memoirs, Coal Bloom, which recounts growing up in southern West Virginia, and a variety of entertainers will be performing on the Carter Auditorium stage. Festival offerings will also include a quilt display and a selection of homemade baked goods.

The evening will conclude with a rousing evening of bluegrass by the legendary Everett Lilly and the Lilly Mountaineers and special guests Marc and Anita Pruett, taking the stage in Carter Auditorium at 7 pm. The band features Raleigh County native Everett Lilly, who as half of the Lilly Brothers was a pioneer in bringing bluegrass to audiences outside Appalachia. The banjo picking of Marc Pruett, who was awarded a Grammy for his playing on Ricky Skaggs's Bluegrass Rules, together with guitarist and vocalist Anita Pruett and a special performance by The Lillys, will help make sure that the day is one to remember.