Carter Family Memorial Festival

Music event to feature Ralph Stanley, others on Aug. 6-7
MACES SPRING, Va. --

Like the traditional tunes collected by her grandfather, Rita Forrester carries on, always trying to "Keep On the Sunny Side."
Even in the wake of tragedy.


Just a few months ago, this woman woke to a literal nightmare: Her house was on fire, and she escaped with nothing but the clothes on her back.
Yet, in the end, she lost everything – including her husband, Bob.


Over the years, Bob Forrester helped with just about everything that needed to be done around the Carter Fold – from mowing the lawn and stocking supplies to making hot dog chili and cornbread, Rita Forrester said.


Now, Rita carries on – again – as Scott County launches a new music heritage trail at the Carter Family Museum along The Crooked Road, with its new executive director, Jack Hinshelwood.


The calendar, too, has arrived at the first weekend of August. And that means it’s time for the traditional Carter Family Memorial Music Festival, held in commemoration of Aug. 1-2, 1927, the dates when the original Carter Family first recorded music in downtown Bristol.


Ralph Stanley headlines this year’s festival – the first to celebrate the recent refurbishing of the Carter Family Museum with state-of-the-art exhibits.


TIME-HONORED TRADITION


Forrester’s maternal grandparents, A.P. and Sara Carter, made up two-thirds of the original Carter Family trio.


In later years, Forrester’s late mother, Janette Carter, began the memorial festival as a way of remembering the 1920s-era work of the original Carter Family, noted by music historians as one of early country music’s most influential groups.


And now?


It’s up to Forrester, the Carter Fold’s executive director, and an army of volunteers to keep the tradition going.


"This is going to be one of our best festivals with some well-known and successful groups in our area," Forrester said.


Having Stanley come to perform has been a godsend, Forrester added.


"He and his brother, Carter, started out in much the same way the Carter Family did – they grew up in a poor family in the Appalachian Mountains," Forrester said. "For the Stanleys and the Carters to accomplish what they did in the music world is nothing short of phenomenal."  More