12/14: Fundraiser for Hurricane Helene Relief
The Floyd Country Store in partnership with Rare Bird Farms is excited to present an evening of traditional Appalachian Ballad Singing on Saturday, December 14th at 7PM. MC’ed by Floyd County native Josh Copus and featuring Appalachian ballad singing by Donna Ray Norton, Sheila Kay Adams, and Melanie Rice — all 7th & 8th generation ballad singers and bonafide keepers of this tradition.
This show will be a fundraiser to support the Old Marshall Jail Hotel, a venue in Madison County, NC that is the regular home of the Ballad Swap. Unfortunately the venue was damaged during Hurricane Helene.
The Old Marshall Jail Ballad Swap is a celebration of Appalachian heritage, that has been regularly hosted by Josh Copus, Donna Ray Norton, Sheila Kay Adams, and Melanie Rice at the Old Marshall Jail Hotel located in a little town above the French Broad River on the edge of the Pisgah National Forest in Madison County, NC. This casual “front porch” gathering has become known for bringing together ballad singers from across the region to share stories and songs that have been passed down for generations. Madison County, known for its rich ballad tradition, was famously described by English folk song collector Cecil Sharp as a “nest of singing birds” in 1916. The ballad tradition here goes back at least nine generations, making it one of the oldest unbroken oral traditions in the U.S.
Not long after Hurricane Helene, Ballad Swap host Josh Copus reached out to Dylan Locke with the concept of “taking the show on the road” and The Floyd Country Store seemed the perfect fit. Copus grew up in Floyd County and is no stranger to The Country Store.
“As an old-school Floyd kid who loves Appalachia with all of his heart, bringing the Ballad Swap to the Floyd Country Store would be a great opportunity to further strengthen the ties between Madison County and Floyd County, the two places that I love the most in this world.” — Josh Copus
“There are wonderful layers to hosting The OMJ Ballad Swap. It feels good to help our neighbors in North Carolina rebuild their lives after the damage from Hurricane Helene. We are excited to reconnect with our friend, Josh Copus and welcome him back to Floyd County and The Floyd Country Store. The music and the ballads are a part of the fabric of The Floyd Country Store and our musical community, and we are developing a new relationship with Rare Bird Farm and a wonderful group of people. We are also glad that we are equipped to host this beautiful gathering where 100% of all proceeds will go to support the Old Marshall Jail, a venue who we find common values with, a place where community thrived, connected, and conversed for generations, just like the Floyd Country Store.” — Dylan Locke, Floyd Country Store owner
The Ballad Swap is also traveling to several other venues in the region in an effort to preserve and celebrate this important cultural tradition and to raise money for the Marshall, NC community. This presentation of the Old Marshall Jail Ballad Swap at the Floyd Country Store is one of those “traveling sessions” and we are proud to be a host! Help us raise some money to offset the damage done by Helene and help get the Ballad Swap back home where it can continue to carry on this tradition for years to come.
Old Marshall Jail Ballad Swap Fundraiser
Saturday, December 14th at 7PM
Live at The Floyd Country Store
MC’ed by Josh Copus, featuring Donna Ray Norton, Sheila Kay Adams, and Melanie Rice
Presented by The Floyd Country Store & Rare Bird Farm
TICKETS: General Admission: $25, Reserved Seating: $30
Kids 12 & under: $12.50
Livestream: $10 at www.Floydcountrystore.tv
