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Video crew to visit Merry-Go-Round [The Mount Airy News, N.C.](Mount Airy News (NC) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 22--Efforts to promote a new Blue Ridge Music Trails program in western North Carolina will include a "ride" on the Merry-Go-Round in Mount Airy this Saturday. A video crew is scheduled to visit the Earle Theater downtown to record the musical program that is aired every Saturday by local radio station WPAQ, which specializes in the bluegrass and old-time genres. The Merry-Go-Round has been broadcast live continuously since the station opened in the late 1940s, a record eclipsed only by the Grand Ole Opry. "But we're second," WPAQ owner Kelly Epperson stressed. Based on that longevity, it was only natural that the Saturday Merry-Go-Round program was picked for the filming schedule of the Blue Ridge Music Trails effort. The public is urged to attend Saturday's performance, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., to become part of another milestone for the show. The trails program seeks to better promote the traditional music heritage in 29 counties in western North Carolina, including Surry, through collaborative marketing efforts. It began picking up steam in the spring of 2013 when a series of organizational meetings were held across the region, including one in Mount Airy. North Carolina's effort is similar to a well-established program in Virginia to promote traditional music, the Crooked Road. With the possible exception of the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs through many of the 29 Tar Heel counties included, the concept doesn't involve an actual road. But it seeks to highlight a series of stops along the way which share a common musical thread -- and encourage tourists to follow the "trail." Organizers have identified more than 160 different musical venues in the region which are thriving. The WPAQ owner sees the selection of the Merry-Go-Round for Saturday's video session as significant given the total number of locations involved. "I'm just thrilled and delighted," Epperson said, "just honored and excited and looking forward to being down there that day." Two groups are scheduled to perform Saturday, Paula Dellenback & Fox River and Cross River. One goal of Saturday's recording session is to interview audience members of all ages to solicit their remarks about the Merry-Go-Round and its significance to them. "I feel like it's another opportunity to showcase Mount Airy and the musical heritage that we have," Epperson continued. "I just hope that people will come out and fill up the Earle Theater." Epperson is not sure how the footage from Saturday will be incorporated into the Blue Ridge Music Trails campaign. But he is confident it will serve to more widely perpetuate music deeply rooted in Surry County. "We want this type of music to continue and thrive the way it has all these years," Epperson said. When Merry-Go-Round broadcasts originated at WPAQ in the late 1940s, the crowds became so large that the show was moved to the old Pick Theater downtown. The program later returned to the radio station, and in 1998 shifted to its present venue on North Main Street, operated by the Surry Arts Council. Notable Merry-Go-Round hosts over the years have included Uncle Joe Johnson and Clyde Johnson. Tom Joyce may be reached at 336-415-4693 or on Twitter @Me_Reporter. ___ (c)2014 The Mount Airy News (Mount Airy, N.C.) Visit The Mount Airy News (Mount Airy, N.C.) at www.mtairynews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |