Lincoln Memorial University

6965 Cumberland Gap Pkwy, Harrogate, Tennessee 37752

Due to an overwhelming amount of interest in One Evening in May, the University and I have agreed to move it to a larger location. This event will now be held in Duke Hall on the campus of LMU. It will still take place May 12 at 6pm. This decision was made to insure the comfort and safety of all in attendance. I would like to thank the Cumberland Gap Wedding Chapel for their initial support in this project, as well as LMU Arts in the Gap for sponsoring the event. The ballad singers are glad to see the enthusiasm for traditional songs in the area, and we look forward to this performance in just a few short weeks!

In 1917, British folklorist Cecil Sharp came to the Appalachian mountains in search of American folk traditions. What he found was a "community in which singing was as common and almost as universal a practice as breathing." The repertoires of these singers included English and Scottish ballads, “love songs" as the singers called them, that had been passed down from the early European settlers of the region. His published collection, English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, includes multiple versions of 122 distinct ballads. Several of these were collected on the campus of LMU.

Today, this tradition continues with young singers from across the Appalachian region. Join Claiborne County native Ian Kirkpatrick May 12 at 6pm as he welcomes old friends and new acquaintances to perform together for the first time in Cumberland Gap at the Cumberland Gap Wedding Chapel. Tickets are $10, or $5 for LMU students. Money will be collected at the door. This event is sponsored by LMU Arts in the Gap. All proceeds go directly to the artists.

For Directions:
http://www.cumberlandgapweddingchapel.com/wedding-chapel-pages/map.html