IT'S THE DUCK JAZZ FESTIVAL!
The Town's 8th Annual Duck Jazz Festival comes to life on Sunday, October 12th at the Duck Town Park, a beautiful 11-acre site on the sound in the heart of town. "The Jazz Festival provides a fantastic opportunity for the entire community to get together, to interact with one another and help build the social fabric that makes Duck a special place," Town Manager Chris Layton said. "When the town began to develop the Park, we had a strong desire to provide programming that would give back to the community while also providing incentives for people to come at different times of the year. The talent level has been fantastic and the festival has grown by leaps and bounds."
Getting to the festival is half the fun. Instead of driving, you can peddle along Duck's bike trail or stroll along the sound on the boardwalk that now connects the many shops and restaurants in downtown Duck. Or tie up your boat at the Town's public boat slips located at the north and south ends of the boardwalk. This free, non-ticketed festival opens at 10 a.m., and performances begin at 11 a.m., alternating between stages to provide non-stop music all day.
Main Stage on the Green
11 a.m.-noon The John Brown Quartet 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Lipbone Redding 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. The Legendary Louis Hayes & The Jazz Communicators 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m. René Marie presents I Wanna Be Evil (With Love to Eartha Kitt) |
Amphitheater Stage
noon-12:30 p.m. Connected 1:30 p.m.-2:15 p.m. "in"formance with John Brown 3:30 p.m.-4 p.m. First Flight High School Jazz Band |
The slate of artists performing this year is phenomenal with the exquisite, electrifying René Marie and her band, traveling straight to Duck following concerts in Spain and Portugal, as a headliner. We may be one of the first American audiences to hear selections from her 10th album, I Wanna Be Evil (With Love to Eartha Kitt), on the Grammynominated label Motéma Music, due for release November 12th.
You can bet Lipbone will get your hipbone going, Louis Hayes will show you a new way to communicate and that John Brown is going to give you a sensational education. Learn more about these impeccable artists at townofduck.com.
On Friday, October 10th, Children @ Play will present Disney's The Aristocats at the Park at sunset. It's free, but donations are welcome and appreciated. So gather your wee people and sing along - Everybody Wants to Be a Cat!
Several businesses are planning companion events that broaden the scope of the festival from the Park to the whole Town. Look for René Marie Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Scarborough Faire, and later on Saturday go to the Blue Point for a live jam by festival musicians. For more event information visit duckjazz.com.
Beyond entertaining, the festival is educational, providing a workshop for high school music students, many of whom will perform at the festival.
The 8th Annual Duck Jazz Festival is presented by PNC with the support of the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau and yours truly, OuterBanksThisWeek.com.
Cool Yule
Duck will be making merry on Saturday, December 6th with its 4th Annual Yuletide Celebration. We know, we know...the ancient Yuletide, or Jól if you're Nordic, was a wild 12-day heathen celebration to welcome the sun following the winter solstice.
Duck's Yuletide may have a heathen or two, but is, overwhelmingly, attended by families hoping to welcome the Jolly Old Elf as he arrives on a Duck Fire Department truck. The event begins at 3 p.m. at the Park, with hot cocoa, live music and a blazing finale - the lighting of the crab pot tree.
Admission is free, but in the spirit of giving, look for suggestions posted at townofduck.com benefitting Outer Banks SPCA, Children & Youth Partnership and Food for Thought.
1200 Duck Road
Duck Town Park
(252) 255-1286
