HemlockFest 2009 Promotional Materials
Each year we ask your help in spreading the word and supporting the important work of HemlockFest by sharing our promotional materials widely! They can be downloaded and printed from this web site or picked up from several convenient locations in Dahlonega.
Press Release 7-15-09
Hemlockfest Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
Saving the Environment and Having Fun Doing It
The fifth annual HemlockFest Music Festival will be held November 6-8 at Starbridge Retreat near Dahlonega, Georgia. Festival organizers are celebrating this grassroots benefit held to combat parasites which are killing the native Hemlock trees of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
It’s like a story from a classic 1930s movie: some regular people discover a serious problem that affects their hometown. Their passion drives them to do something about it. In this case, the people were a loosely-organized group of outdoors types, environmentalists, and just average citizens who called themselves the Lumpkin Coalition. The problem they discovered was that a parasite called the woolly adelgid was killing the native Hemlock trees of the north Georgia mountains. The solution they came up with was to hold a music festival called HemlockFest to raise funds to fight the adelgids. This year, HemlockFest will mark its fifth anniversary on November 6-8 at the beautiful Starbridge Retreat near Dahlonega.
The festival is a three-day celebration of bluegrass, blues, and rock music, held on a scenic 50-acre private resort in the foothills of the Appalachians. It’s a family-friendly event with something to interest people of all ages. Visitors can come for a day or camp out for the weekend and enjoy unique food and beverages under the verandas of a 150-year-old cabin on the property. There are demonstrations of traditional handicrafts and skills such as crosscut sawing and archery. There are dozens of booths containing art and interesting merchandise from Georgia and all over the world. There are opportunities all weekend to learn more about the natural world of the Blue Ridge Mountains with guided nature walks and exhibits of native animals as well as discussions of environmental issues. Visitors can relax while paddling a canoe around the peaceful five-acre pond on the grounds or let their hair down to the beat of unique music by bands and songwriters from around the region.
“Hemlockfest draws people from every single group you can imagine,” according to Forest Hilyer, the man who started it all. He notes that festival-goers range in age literally from 8 months to 80 years old and include people from all different backgrounds, united by two goals: to have fun and help out with a good cause at the same time. The Lumpkin Coalition, which organizes the event, is every bit as diverse as the crowd at the festival. They note with pride that the organization has helped to raise over $100,000 for laboratories at several universities in the state to raise and release beetles that eat woolly adelgids. The Coalition is an all-volunteer group, and they pride themselves on the fact that all proceeds of HemlockFest go toward the cause of saving the Hemlocks. At first, “none of us knew what we were getting into,” says Hilyer, but five years further on, the festival continues to attract a growing following with great music, a beautiful one-of-a-kind venue, and glowing reviews from delighted fans. Visit the festival website at http://www.lumpkincoalition.org/HemlockFest.htm.
The Lumpkin Coalition is a 100% volunteer non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization established in 2005 and dedicated to preservation of a clean and healthy environment, responsible living, and responsible growth. We are based in Lumpkin County, Georgia with membership throughout the southeast.
Contact:
Bryan Sorohan
605 Candler Street C-8
Gainesville, GA 30501
(404) 310-5605
Press Release 9-13-09
Band Line-up for Hemlockf-Fest 2009 Announced
Local and Regional Musicians Perform to Save Endangered Trees
The Fifth Annual Hemlockfest Music Festival will be held November 6-8 at Starbridge Retreat near Dahlonega, Georgia. Popular musical acts from around the region will entertain at this year’s benefit held to combat parasites which are killing the native Hemlock trees of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
This year’s HemlockFest promises to be a treat for music fans around the north Georgia region. Twenty-two bands from Georgia, North Carolina, and as far away as West Virginia will be performing over the course of three days at the beautiful Starbridge Retreat just east of Dahlonega. Friday night’s entertainment features six area bands, with Atlanta’s Soulhound, Mudcat, and the Dot Line Projekt highlighting the lineup. Saturday’s all-day music line-up will include bluegrass, blues, rock, and funk from nine bands, including West Virginia’s David Lafleur performing roots music on a variety of traditional instruments, and local folk and bluegrass acts The Family Honor and Gold Rush. Headlining the diverse line-up on Saturday night this year are Col. Bruce Hampton and the Quark Alliance, who will bring their unique blend of rock, rhythm and blues, and jazz to the stage. "As a GA band we're proud to be a part of this each year in as beautiful setting as anywhere in Georgia," Col. Bruce says. Audience members will be mesmerized by the unique fire dancing of Unifire Dance Theater, a perennial festival favorite. Sunday will feature Athens group The Solstice Sisters as well as Dahlonega’s own Celtic folk/rock band Emerald Rose as part of a varied morning-to-afternoon line-up.
HemlockFest is a family-friendly three-day musical celebration held on a scenic 50-acre private resort in the foothills of the Appalachians. Visitors can come for a day, or camp out for the weekend, and enjoy unique food and beverages, demonstrations of traditional handicrafts and skills, and dozens of booths containing art and interesting merchandise from Georgia and all over the world as well as opportunities all weekend to learn more about the natural world of the Blue Ridge Mountains. All proceeds from the event are used to help save the Hemlock trees of the Southern Appalachian Mountains from the woolly adelgid parasite, which is rapidly infesting the region. Anyone interested learning more can visit the web site of the Lumpkin Coalition, which organizes the festival, at www.lumpkincoalition.org/. And please visit the HemlockFest web site for more information on the festival at www.lumpkincoalition.org/HemlockFest.htm.
The Lumpkin Coalition is a 100% volunteer non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization established in 2005 and dedicated to preservation of a clean and healthy environment, responsible living, and responsible growth. We are based in Lumpkin County, Georgia with membership throughout the Southeast.
Contact:
Bryan Sorohan
605 Candler Street C-8
Gainesville, GA 30501
(404) 310-5605
2009 Rack Card
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Please go by the Visitors Information Center on the square in Dahlonega, pick up some rack cards, and distribute them widely and quickly! Or, if you wish to download it as a JPG file, you may be able to do so by clicking on the links below. The rack card measures approximately 10" x 4.4". |
| 2009 Rack Card - front 2009 Rack Card - back |
2009 Poster
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Please go by the Visitors Information Center on the square in Dahlonega, pick up some posters, and distribute them widely and quickly! Or, if you wish to download it as a JPG file, you may be able to do so by clicking on the link below. The poster measures approximately 11" x 17". |
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