Americana music will fill the rolling hills surrounding Scottsville’s Dugas Community Park on Sunday, October 10th, as the Allen County-Scottsville Arts Council presents its Inaugural NorroFest. The festival’s moniker honors hometown celebrity Norro Wilson, influential singer, songwriter, producer, “song-plugger” and record executive. Wilson was instrumental in the careers of Reba McEntire, Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain, while heavy-hitters like George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Charlie Rich recorded songs penned by Norro. A member of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Allen County native was included in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s “Poets and Prophets” series in 2011.
The Josephines (thejosephines.bigcartel.com), who credit inspiration from “run-down honky-tonks, lost love, broken dreams and empty bottles,” will be NorroFest’s headlining act. This “rowdy quintet of down-home rockers” plays powerful “rough-around-the-edges” music that will make you “dance while you cry.”
Kicking off the day’s music is Nashville’s own Off The Wagon bluegrass band. With their “ragged-but-right charm and good time party vibe,” they have been perennial favorites at venues like The Station Inn, the mecca of bluegrass in Music City.
Alexa Rose (alexarosemusic.com), whose voice NPR describes as “the soul child of Bob Dylan and Dolly Parton,” rounds out NorroFest’s Americana music roster. Born in the Alleghany Highlands of western Virginia, Rose says she “grew up with traditional mountain music in my ear.” Citing Doc Watson and the ancient folk ballads of the British Isles as influences, Rose’s songwriting reflects the importance of storytelling, and “American Songwriter” compares her sonically to Gillian Welch.
In addition to music, NorroFest will feature food trucks as well as exhibitions and demonstrations by artists and craftspeople. The gates to Dugas Park will open at 4:30pm, with music commencing at 6pm. General admission is $10, with free entry for children six and under. Lawn chairs, picnic blankets and coolers are all allowed. Attendees are welcome to take advantage of the walking and biking trails while waiting for the concert to begin. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.acsarts.org or at the gate the day of the festival.
Allen County-Scottsville Arts Council is thrilled to partner with Dugas Community Park and Dumont Hill Park, the host venue for NorroFest. The park is named for the Wayne and Laura Jo Dugas family. Laura Jo is a Scottsville native and the daughter of the late Cal Turner, Sr., the founder of Dollar General. Wayne was a native of Des Allemands, Louisiana. Through the family’s generous donation of over 240 acres, and the formation of an operating endowment, Dugas Park and Dumont Hill Park serve as a source for recreational and educational opportunities for the region. In partnership with The College Heights Foundation and Western Kentucky University, Dugas Community Park now encompasses 320 acres, which includes walking and hiking trails, an amphitheater, horseback riding trails and more.
Big Screen Productions has been tapped by the Allen County-Scottsville Arts Council to direct and produce the music festival, which is destined to become the non-profit organization’s marquee event. Proceeds from NorroFest will benefit AC-SAC in its mission to foster a community that is enriched, engaged and educated through quality arts experiences. The council has, since its inception in the early 1980’s, provided Allen Countians with arts education, scholarships, entertainment and opportunities. The group’s popular Arts on Main Free Summer Concert Series has brought numerous musical performances to its arts pavilion just off Scottsville’s square, including Grammy nominees and winners alike. Educational offerings such as Arts Day Camp, The Blackbird Dance Theatre, Berea Dancers, UK Opera, Kentucky Shakespeare and Blue Apple Players have brought the arts to students across Allen County. Programs like the council’s SummerSoundz Community Youth Choir have recently garnered AC-SAC the Kentucky Music Educator’s “Friends of Music Award.”
The Allen County-Scottsville Arts Council is primarily funded through the generosity of grants provided by the Laura Goad Turner Foundation and the Laura Turner Dugas Fund for Allen County, along with contributions from the City of Scottsville, the Allen County Judge Executive’s office and local membership drives. For more information, visit their website at www.acsarts.org or the group’s FaceBook page.
-submitted by Allen County-Scottsville Arts Council
