MECC Foundation to Host “Diamonds and Denim” Event Supporting Scott County Scholarships

The Mountain Empire Community College Foundation is pleased to present “Diamonds and Denim,” an evening of elegance and entertainment featuring the music of the Jeff Little Trio and Wayne Henderson, at the beautiful Crooked River Lodge in Hiltons, Va., Saturday, August 24.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Scott County Endowed Scholarship Fund, supporting Scott County students who wish to further their education and skill level at Mountain Empire Community College. Continued financial support is needed to assist students with tuition, book, and attendance costs.

The reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. and includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, refreshments, wine, beer, concert entertainment and a silent auction. Guests are encouraged to wear their diamonds and denim for this relaxed, semi-formal evening event. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets for the event are $65 or $125 per couple and may be purchased online at www.meccfoundation.org/scevent or at Farm Bureau Insurance located in Gate City, VA.

The Scott County Endowed Scholarship Committee is currently seeking sponsorships to support event costs. Sponsorships range from $500 to $5000 and include tickets, branding, and special recognition. For more information on becoming an event sponsor, visit www.meccfoundation.org/scfund.

Jeff Little Trio

With few exceptions, the piano does not play a prominent part in Appalachian or Americana music, and is rarely the lead instrument. But Jeff Little is an exception – and a remarkable one. His distinctive two-handed style, much influenced by the   mountain flat-picked guitar tradition, is breathtaking in its speed, precision and clarity. He has performed at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Folk Festival, Merlefest and has been featured on National Public Radio and PBS. In 2014, Jeff was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. He is a full-time faculty member and artist in residence at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC.

Wayne HendersonWayne Henderson’s top-notch finger-picking is a source of great pleasure and pride to his friends, family and neighbors in Grayson County, Virginia. His guitar playing has also been enjoyed at Carnegie Hall, in three national tours of Masters of the Steel-String Guitar, and in seven nations in Asia. In addition to his reputation as a guitarist, Henderson is a luthier of great renown. He is a recipient of a 1995 National Heritage Award presented by the National Endowment for the Arts. He produces about 20 instruments a year, mostly guitars; he is almost as well-known for the mandolins he has made.

Crooked River Lodge is located on a 200-acre estate along the Holston River close to Seven Shoals in Hiltons, Virginia. This enchanted estate includes rolling hay fields, over a mile of river frontage, oak forests and open glades.  The view is spectacular down an open valley with Clinch Mountain on one side, rocky cliffs along the river on the other side and beautiful meadows and hay fields between. A restored 1823 timber frame lodge towers above the valley below. The power and magnetism of the river delight the eye and pull you in while the forest and glades make the outside world fall away. The heart of Crooked River is the circa-1823 Ohio Grist Mill that serves as the concert venue, featuring 12×12 oak beams and majestic lighting.  

For more information on the event, please contact the MECC Foundation at 276.523.7466 or visit the Foundation’s website at www.meccfoundation.org.

 

-MECC FOUNDATION-