Wed 4/19 – 7-9:00 PM – Songwriters Sessions and Thurs 4/20 – Train cocktails special

Wed 4/19 – 7-9:00 PM – Join us for the monthly Songwriters Sessions with featured performers Mare Carmody, Carrie Morrison, and Andrew Thelston.     

Mare Carmody is a voice of southern songwriting, having lived in Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina. Playing music has always been a way of life throughout her travels. Mare is currently part of the trio Carver Carmody & McIntire.

   Melodic and memorable, Carrie Morrison’s songs make connections. A native of Louisville, Ky., the singer/songwriter/pianist has been a popular act in Western N.C. for more than 15 years. She is keyboardist and vocalist in the Andrew Thelston Band and enjoys duo collaborations with Andrew and cellist Jamie Leigh Bennett.

   Andrew Thelston creates futuristic rock ‘n’ roll which echoes the past. In 2019, his original music was featured on the hit Netflix show “Lucifer,” and he was voted one of the top guitarists in the 2022 Best of WNC by the Mountain Xpress.

Hosting the event will be hosts Mare Carmody and Charlie Wilkinson. For more information, please contact:  WNCsongwritersessions@gmail.com

 

Thurs 4/20 -4-9:00 PM –  The first rail line into Henderson County began in Charleston, SC and ran through the town of Columbia, SC before pushing up the Saluda grade from Spartanburg into Henderson County. The railroad running from Charleston into the rugged and steep mountain terrain of Western North Carolina would not reach Hendersonville until 1879, and later Asheville in 1886. The locals were probably in the crowds that cheered when the train came roaring through on July 4, 1879. The original tracks of the Spartanburg-Asheville Railroad Company ran then, as today, through Howard’s Gap and parallel to the old Cane Creek Road. Approaching the equally steep grade from Asheville’s east side was the Richmond-Danville Railroad line that led from Marion & Old Fort and was not completed until 1889. The first rail line in North Carolina was chartered by the Wilmington-Raleigh Railroad Company in 1834 and an initial 161 miles of track was laid between Wilmington and Weldon in Halifax County. When completed in 1840, it was touted as the longest railroad in the world at that time.

    As the iron horse ploughed through the once isolated mountain hollers and passes, it brought with it easy accessibility to the mountain’s resources, and the thick virgin timbered forests fell to the aggressive logging titans. The locals would have been thrilled by the first signs of industrialization and cheered the initial economic boost to the community. Tragically, it became increasingly apparent that excessive commercial activities caused fires, floods, deforestation, and catastrophic erosion. The area was changing and so would the mountain’s close-knit families.

Train Cocktails:  Train derail – Douglas fir brandy, lemon juice, simple syrup, soda water; Railcar – CB Frost, rum, Cointreau, lime juice, Campari; Blue Train – CB Frost, Cointreau, lemon juice, curacao; Trainspotter – CB Frost, rye whiskey, elderflower liqueur, Heering brandy, dry sherry; 1/2 price US Flight