TJbiE TAH HEELi TUESDAY. MAY 13, UW
"4
According To Ba scorn Lamar Lunsford
no j?" iciter Fear am Jn
ne
I
Ba
ly
tver Honored
B
by Grady Elmore 1
George Pegrarn is the only ban
30 player in the country ever
honored with a housewarming, ac
cording to Bascom Lamar Luns
ford, who is reputed to be the
only full-time folklorist in the
country.
Citizens of Union Grove com
munity "in Buncombe county re
cently erected a home for Pegrarn,
providing the labor and mater
ial? and most of the furniture
afterwards, in appreciation of his
abilities as a banjo player and
comedian.
The community's pride in
George was fostered during his
appearances in the folk festivals
promoted and directed by Luns
ford, the pride and joy of South
Turkey Creek, who is president
of the .Carolina Folklore Society.
Lunsford now serves as direc
tor of four such annual folk-lore
shows: the Mountain Dance "and
Folk Festival in Asheville, the
Folk Festival of Renfro, Ky., the
N. C. State Fair Folk Festival in
Raleigh, and the Carolina Folk
Festival at Chapel Hill.
With these celebrations Luns
ford has seen the realization of
his dreams. A lawyer by profes
sion, he has had "no time for it."
Now 70 years of age, he has spent
work, encouraging the revival of
folklore music and dances.
f Minstrel of Appalachians
: In earlier years this self -proclaimed
"Minstrel, of . the Appa
lachians" traveled the mountains
Singing and playing, encouraging
Others to do the same. He was
afraid the old tunes and steps
were dying out, would disappear,
Stimulate an interest and pride
ia the ancestorial music. Preserv
ing such music on records, was
6ns preventive measure sponsor
ed b7 Lunsford, and the inaugu
ration and growt hof folk festi
vals -completed his mission.
fTHahas recorded collections of
ffongs; ballads, dance calls, and
banjo and fiddle tunes for the
tibVary of Congress and Colum
tp6S University. His personal col
tlgtlori of some 3,000 such re
Jc ojdings has been called the larg
esjin the,! pountry.
CiToday Lunsford's beautiful
fomd at South Turkey Creek,
jt elr Asheville, is a mecca to folk
flfgt as well as the planning
rt iter for the annual festivals.
KHiests come for many miles to
k Hff ot to use the outdoor dance
filter constructed on his farm in
jite of his years, he joins his
neighbors and guests, whether
i mging ballads or dancing. He
'remains an accomplished" dance-
Jailer and fiddlebanjo, and gui-
y Housevarrning
land, who were visiting in Wash
ington. George's notoriety was greatly
enhanced through his perform
ances in the Carolina Folk Festi
vals at Chapel Hill. Some people
have sworn that, on a clear night,
George could be heard as far
south as Pittsboro and as far
north as Hillsboro.
Plans for Carolina Fesfiral
Plans for the Fifth Annual
Carolina Folk Festival, slated for
June 12, 13, and 14, are nearing
completion. Sponsored by the
Folklore Council of the Univer
sity of North Carolina with Rus
sell M. Grumman of the Exten
sion Division as chairman, " the
festival will include large dance
groups, ballad singers, string
bands, clog dancers, novelty num
bers, and Gospel quartets over
700 performers.
Dance teams will4 be attracted
from Virginia, South Carolina,
Tennessee, and Georgia, and from
every corner of North Carolina.
Such teams, composed of from
eight to 10 couples each, are al
ready lined up from 12 counties:
Wake, Forsyth, Mecklenburg,
Person, Durham, Orange, Ala
mance, Guilford, Burke, Lenoir,
Duplin and Caldwell.
Site of the festival in Chapel
i ii 1 1 jui.
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ALEC DANTRE of Ral&igh
who will sing the baritone role
of Baron Duphol in "La Trati-
ala" which is to be presented
here Thursday, at 8 p.m. by the
Grass Roots Opera Company.
Admission is free upon presen
tation of ID cards by students.
This will be the last Student
Entertainment Committee pres--entation
this school year.
tax player.
Many Lunsford Proteges
directs and helps to plan are con-
! - ducted in accordance with certain
i ' principTes.- "These festivals are
xharked by their non-profession-
raUsm,M he says. "They are fofe
'entertainment and , enjoymenfgp
"solely. " ., ..
I" George Pegrarn, whom Luns-T
ford calls "suoerb-A natural! j
i Comedian," and Sam Queen oi
I Sbco Gap are only two of the out-
. . " W
l who tiave participated m the iolkj
J festivals. After performing in thei
earlier festivals, Queen later
formed a troupe and proceeded
ta,. Chicago where he introduced
fountain music into night clubs.
y Rent Buy Brouso
at the
BULL'S HEAD
BOOSCSHOP
ELIZABETH GRAY VINING:
WINDOWS FOR THE
CROWN' PRINCE
Hill is beautiful Kenan Stadium.
A large platform in the center
serves the performers and a PA
system broadcasts words and
music throughout the huge stadi
um. The performers are accomo
dated in dormitories for nominal
costs. ' . "" . ' ' . . - .
Peggy Baker -
Featured in this June's festivity
will be Miss Peggy Baker from
the. Smokies, a traditional ballad
singer who has attended the
Asheville festivals. "She is very
popular with audiences there,"
says Lunsford. . .
Other performers scheduled for
reappearances" in a Lunsford
directed festival are Virgil Stur
gilL Asheville ballad singer; Paul
Joines, Winston-Salem banjo
player; Artis Moser and daughter,
Ann Moser, ballad singers; J. R.
and Marquis Martin of Rockford,
ban joists; Obray Ramsey and
Bayard Ray from Shelton Laurel,
ballad singers and string musi
cians; ando ballad singers Faison
Smith of. Duplin county and Bill
MacElith of Buncombe county.
North Carolina manufactures
55 of the cigarettes produced in
the United States.
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SENATOR ESTES KEFAUVER (D-Tenn.) offers radio announcer
Jack Barrett his familiar coonskin campaign cap during an inter
view at the airport in Albany. N. Y. Enroute to a Democratic
dinner at Schoharie, Kefauver told newsmen he was "practically
assured" of the Democratic presidential nomination in July.
Fire Destroys $1,200 In Equipment
. John Hilton of Charlotte nearly
got a "hot seat" yesterday when
a fire broke out in the back of
his green 1950 Ford pickup truck,
burning up some $1,200 worth of
electrical equipment.
Hilton works for the Economy
Electric Co. of Charlotte. The
electric equipment was entirely
destroyed, but the truck was un
harmed. The blaze occurred at 5
p.m. close to the Bell Tower.
Tom Deaton Jr. of Chapel Hill
said he saw a motorist flip a
cigarette out of his car into the
back of the truck.
SPEC
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NAVY AIH FOflCE
R.O.T.C. fl.O.T.C.
ICHAICi; PANTS
; all: prices - ;.-;, .
Khaki Shirts -JySpecial!
Styled Brown Shaesl if!-J? Khaki Socks
Also Black Shoes:r;-Vi:!?!;;;pat 29c a pair
WHITE (HEAVY) BATH TOWELS
-'LEE. niDERS ' ?L ' 'v
- ' "(Western Style)
All ECinds of Dungarees $2.48 and up
; ; White Short Special ;
White broadcloth and jockey knit shorts
by Copper and Hanes
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Kowever, was a performance be-
ftwe-the Kine and Queen of Eng-