Appalachian State University The performing and fine arts are alive and well in Boone and Watauga County! The very presence of Appalachian State University helps ensure that the community is culturally enhanced. Thanks to Appalachian's Performing Arts Series and Forum Lecture Series, offerings by the School of Music, the Department of Art, Department of Theatre and Dance, there's always something to do and see year-round. Gil Morgenstern, the director of An Appalachian Summer Festival, says, "We are working to create an atmosphere - far from the lights of Broadway - where some of the country's finest creative and performing artists can come to develop new works and to explore new art forms in collaboration with their peers. "The Festival and the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains are an ideal setting for artists to develop - and audiences to experience - some of the most creative works being produced today." The legendary Doc Watson The overall entertainment scene has reached new heights in the 21st century, with the opening of the university's new George M. Holmes Convocation Center, which is designed to host athletic events, concerts and community performances. The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, opened in 2003, supports the mission of ASU through regionally significant exhibition, education, and collection programs. The gallery is open to the public five days a week. Catherine Smith Gallery - (828) 262-3017 Rivers Street, Boone, NC 28608 Located in the Farthing Auditorium on the university campus. This gallery features rotating arts and sculpture exhibits. Open year-round. Free. For ASU's complete arts and entertainment schedule, contact the Office of Cultural Affairs - (828) 262-4046 or (800) 841-ARTS. Watauga County Arts Council - (828) 264-1789 or (828) 262-4576 604 West King Street, Boone, NC 28607 At the center of the arts community in the Boone area is the Watauga County Arts Council, which was founded in 1981 to support visual and performing arts. The agency provides artists-in-residence programs to local schools and maintains the Jones House Community Center, which is residence to three art galleries that are open to the public 1-5 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday. Admission is free during art gallery hours. The arts council strives to create a center for discovery and celebration of the arts and humanities. Membership includes a newsletter, invitations to special events and special discounts on workshops and other programs. Miriam and Robert Hayes Performing Arts Center - (828) 295-9627 Opened in 2006, the Arts Center benefits residents and visitors by providing a permanent home for a multitude of arts groups and a facility in which to host live theatre, dance groups, a variety of musical performances, visual arts displays, classic films, and children's theatre workshops. For the first time in the history of the North Carolina High Country, residents have had the opportunity to establish an Arts Center that will make quality arts programming accessible to a rural population. The Blowing Rock Stage Company - (828) 295-9627 P.O. Box 2170, Blowing Rock, NC 28605 This non-profit organization has been presenting professional theatre as a community service since 1986. Productions include dramas, musicals and comedies with a variety of shows from mid-June into September and holiday performances in December. The Hayes Performing Arts Center is the permanent home of the Stage Company. Reserved seating. Horn in the West - (828) 264-2120 Daniel Boone Amphitheater, Horn in the West Drive P.O. Box 295, Boone, NC 28607 Each summer, Horn in the West explodes into action on three spectacular stages to relive the incredible saga of the struggles of Daniel Boone and the rugged mountain settlers of the late 18th century and their role in the winning of this great country from British oppression. Historic Barter Theatre - (540) 628-3991 P.O. Box 867. Abingdon, VA 24212 The Barter is America's oldest and most respected regional theatre. Open year-round, it is recognized as "The State Theatre of Virginia." Barter Theatre, which takes its name from the practice of bartering, was opened in 1933 by unemployed actor Robert Porterfield, who brought a troupe of performers from New York to Abingdon, at the height of the Depression. Two stages; reserved seating. Blue Ridge Community Theatre - (828) 963-2552 P.O. Box 229, Boone, NC 28607 This all-volunteer troupe has been providing high-quality entertainment in the Boone area for more than 25 years. Spring and fall productions. Lees-McRae College Summer Theatre - (828) 898-8709 or (828) 898-8721 P.O. Box 128, Banner Elk, NC 28604 Three main stage productions and "Theatre for Young People." Appalachain Summer Festival