{"id":45110,"date":"2021-08-20T07:24:47","date_gmt":"2021-08-20T11:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=45110"},"modified":"2021-08-20T07:24:47","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T11:24:47","slug":"book-feature-the-singing-convention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/literature\/book-feature-the-singing-convention\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Feature: The Singing Convention<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brenda Kay Ledford, Author<\/h3>\n

\"\"Hayesville poet and author Brenda Kay Ledford\u2019s latest book, The Singing Convention<\/em>, was written and illustrated for children. A former fourth-grade teacher at Murphy Elementary School in Murphy, Ledford drew upon her own family stories for the book, which tells of a family\u2019s preparations in the 1930s to attend a singing convention, a competition between singing groups and churches. The ones Ledford heard stories about happened at the red brick courthouse in Hayesville. \u201cThey competed for the coveted singing banner that was awarded each year to the best group,\u201d says Ledford, \u201cthen they held dinner on the grounds under the maple trees on the town square lawn. It was a very popular event and part of the mountain culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ledford based the story on her father, who grew up in Matheson Cove, and stories he told her about his boyhood years attending the annual singing conventions. \u201cI come from a family of storytellers,\u201d she says. \u201cMy uncles and aunts also told stories about growing up in the early 1900s in the Blue Ridge Mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doreyl Ammons Cain\u2019s colorful illustrations fill the pages of the book. \u201cShe would illustrate a page and email it to me for suggestions,\u201d says Ledford. \u201cI was just amazed at how talented she was and how much I enjoyed working with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Singing Convention, April, 2021, children, softcover, $20, by Brenda Kay Ledford, and published by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, Inc., Taylors, SC. Find the book at Chinquapins in Hayesville and Shelton House in Waynesville, and at CSABooks.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThey competed for the coveted singing banner that was awarded each year to the best group,\u201d says Brenda Kay Ledford, \u201cthen they held dinner on the grounds under the maple trees on the town square lawn. It was a very popular event and part of the mountain culture.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":45113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-heritage","category-literature"],"yoast_head":"\nBook Feature: The Singing Convention - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cThey competed for the coveted singing banner that was awarded each year to the best group,\u201d says Brenda Kay Ledford, \u201cthen they held dinner on the grounds under the maple trees on the town square lawn. 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