Blue Ridge Backroads Attracts Thousands Of Listeners
By Julie Pharr, Publisher
www.BlueRidgeBackRoads.com

GALAX,Va. - WBRF 98.1 FM sends out 100,000 watts of live old-time and bluegrass music every Friday night from the stage of the historic Rex Theater, located in downtown Galax, Va., a town nicknamed "The World Capital of Old Time Mountain Music." Listeners may be in Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia or Tennessee enjoying the traditional music show from the comfort of their homes, or they may be sitting back in one of the 475 seats at the Rex.

The radio station and the Galax Downtown Association have partnered to turn the live radio show into a live radio stage show and have been doing so since October of 1999. Blue Ridge Backroads originated from the studios at WBRF but had created a need for a larger performance space. The downtown association was looking for ways to attract folks into its shopping area.

"A group of volunteers approached WBRF about bringing the Blue Ridge Backroads live show to the Rex," said Debbie Robinson, who is Galax’s tourism director and a member of the downtown business association. "So, it was really a good thing for the radio station and for the downtown." Robinson said. "And, we just formed a partnership and it has been going on ever since on Fridays."

A small group of faithful volunteers has been working the concessions, doing sound and light work, selling tickets, updating the marquee and cleaning up the Rex every Friday. Ann Boyer is a "hot dogger" selling hot dogs with homemade chili, a fundraiser for her clogging group, the Blue Ridge County Kickers. "My husband passed away and this has been a blessing to me to have something to do," said Boyer, who grew up in Galax. "And, it’s really fun. I enjoy coming down here Friday nights." Boyer plays bass with an old-time band called the Fisher Peak Timber Rattlers along with another Rex volunteer, Stu Shenk, who plays the fiddle and banjo. Shenk, a Galax resident who is originally from Pennsylvania, has worked the soundboard for Blue Ridge Backroads show for about two years.

Another familiar face is Derrick Davis of WBRF who emcees the show weekly. Davis introduces the bands, and they take over until Davis needs to thank the show’s sponsors. The bands all donate their time to be a part of the show. "Our main goal is to feature the musicians of this region," Robinson said. "They are able to sell their CDs and promote their upcoming shows on the radio. They do it in exchange for the radio air time, but also because they want to see this music continue and to be promoted." Now the once privately-owned theater that was shut down in the mid-80s is again live with activity. The audiences have grown from a couple of dozen to a couple hundred and sometimes packed houses. Occasionally, concerts are hosted on Saturday nights.

The majority of the shows are free with donations being accepted to help maintain the theater, which was built in 1939 as the area’s second movie theater. The downtown association also sells drinks, popcorn and candy bars to raise money. The association members bought the Rex in the 1990s and are now asking help from the City of Galax for remodeling and maintenance. The association would like to start screening movies and schedule more events at the Rex. "It is probably the number one tourist attraction (year round on a weekly basis) for Galax," Robinson said. "I would not be afraid to say that."

Galax has been known for its annual fiddlers convention that started in 1935. Going out to eat at one of the local restaurants and then taking in the Blue Ridge Backroads show has become the Friday thing-to-do for a lot of folks. The owners of the Smoke House give 5 percent of their sales to the downtown association for the restaurant’s receipts, which are turned in at the door of the Rex on Fridays.

"We have our fair amount of regulars, and then we have a fair number who come sporadically," Shenk said. "Every week we have new faces." Some of those new faces can be from just about anywhere including many places in the United States, along with Israel, Australia, England and Switzerland. "The Friday night bunch to me is just one happy family," Boyer said. "Everybody is just so friendly. When they come in they say ‘this is our first time’ and then when they leave they say ‘this won’t be our last time.’"

A variety of local, regional and national performers have been featured on the show-names like Dan Tyminski, the Lonesome River Band, the Kruger Brothers, Wayne Henderson, Jeff Little and the John Cowan Band. In fact, Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little are doing an annual Friday after Thanksgiving program that packs the house. Alleghany Moon, an acoustic band from Pilot Mountain, N.C., has started doing a New Year’s Eve show. "I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the bands over the years," Shenk said. "Whatever they’re doing goes out live. We’ve never had anybody say the wrong thing. We’ve got good people up there." Robinson coordinates the bands on a schedule that stays booked up three months in advance but could easily be booked six months or a year in advance because of the high interest level.

Blue Ridge Backroads has announced the following line up for January: The Oriskany Strings, Jan. 7; Reed Island Rounders, Jan. 14; Pole Cat Creek, Jan. 21 and New River Bluegrass, Jan. 28. All shows are from 8 to 10 p.m. The doors open at 7 p.m. A special program will be held Saturday, Jan. 8, from 5 p.m. until, called "Breaking Up Christmas."

Blue Ridge Backroads was designated as a site on Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, The Crooked Road. For more information about The Cooked Road, go to www.thecrookedroad.org or call (866) 686-6874.

The downtown association also works with the National Council for Traditional Arts to use the Rex as a concert site and as a backup site for the Blue Ridge Music Center, located at Milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, in case of inclement weather.

"The volunteers are the unsung heroes," Robinson said. "They are they ones responsible for keeping this place going. You can count on them to be here every Friday-52 Fridays out of the year. It’s pretty amazing."

For more schedule information, call 276-238-8130. -BRBR