Joe Newberry and April Verch
In recent years, Marshall has earned a reputation as one of Western North Carolina’s leading arts destinations. Exhibits, performances and cultural celebrations are plentiful, and December brings ample opportunities to experience them. Three events—a Christmas pageant, Christian Harmony singing, and a concert featuring April Verch and Joe Newberry—will take place on the first weekend of the month, followed by a holiday art sale and Christmas parade on the second weekend.
A Glorious Night of Miracles, the town’s 53rd annual Christmas pageant, will be held on Friday, December 2, and Saturday, December 3, at 6 p.m., on the courthouse lawn in downtown Marshall. “This outdoor pageant is a drama performed by the community in celebration of the Nativity, with a tradition of local directors and cast, live animals, a choir and live narration,” says Laura Boosinger, executive director of the Madison County Arts Council (MCAC). “It’s a spectacular event!”
The second annual Singing on the River, at the Madison County Arts Center, will take place on Saturday, December 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The new reprint of the shape-note songbook, Christian Harmony, will be used, and there will be loaner books available. Christian Harmony is a collection of religious songs with deep roots in America and the North Carolina mountains. Its contents reflect some of the earliest musical traditions of this country, and appeal to the religious as well as those who simply love the history and folk music origins of the songs. Visitors are welcome to listen or join in the singing.
April Verch and Joe Newberry will appear in concert on Sunday, December 4, at 4 p.m., at the Madison County Arts Center. Verch, a fiddler, singer and stepdancer, and Newberry, a fiddler, guitarist and banjo player, will present traditional music at its best. Verch, from Ottawa, Canada, has released ten albums, won countless awards and was one of six musicians who represented the Canadian fiddler tradition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Newberry, a Missouri native and North Carolina transplant who often performs on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, has won numerous awards and taught music at camps and festivals around the world.
“The rich musical heritage of the Blue Ridge region makes it particularly satisfying to play in Marshall,” says Newberry. “It’s always fun to perform for an audience that could include ballad singers, fiddlers and banjo players. April and I will likely see both friends and heroes there!”
Artist, Andy Gordon
MCAC presents its 10th Annual Holiday Sale on Friday, December 9, from 5–8 p.m., and Saturday, December 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Madison County Arts Center. Ceramics, jewelry, fiber arts, painting, metal and woodwork, and photography are among the media represented. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the sale will preview on Friday night, with refreshments available. Saturday shoppers can catch the town Christmas parade, which begins at 11 a.m. on December 10.
Tickets to April Verch and Joe Newberry in concert are $16, and can be purchased online at madisoncountyarts.com or by phone at 828.649.1301. All other events are free and open to the public. The Madison County Arts Center is located at 90 South Main Street, in Marshall. For more information, visit madisoncountyarts.com or call 828.649.1301.
