Billee Moore Folklife Series

The New Billee Moore Folklife Series Kicks Off with a Family-Friendly Concert and Dance

Kingsport, TN – An energetic, toe-tapping dance and concert by Tyler Hughes and the Empty Bottle String
Band will inaugurate the brand-new Billee Moore Folklife Series, named for one of this region’s most
creative storytellers, innovators, and supporter of traditional arts. The series plans to offer a variety of heritage
programs at Exchange Place and other locations around the Tri-Cities. This highly anticipated dance concert
will be held on Friday, November 1 at the Kingsport Farmers Market, beginning at 7 PM. Tickets are
$12 in advance and can be purchased on Eventbrite until 5 PM the day of the concert; please use this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/benefit-concert-for-the-new-billee-moore-folklife-series-tickets-1039124227537
Tickets will also be sold at the door that evening for $15. No family will pay more than $40 for tickets.

Nothing could be a more perfect kick-off than a rollicking performance by Tyler Hughes and the Empty Bottle
String Band! Graduates of the Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies program at ETSU, these
musicians are known for their upbeat tunes, feel-good music and inventive sound, which still stays close to the
classic string band tradition of the 1930's.  One of the Appalachian region’s most popular old-time groups,
attendees can come just for the tunes, but the band's music is extremely danceable, so anyone who cares to
dance should do so with carefree abandon; there is plenty of room at the Kingsport Farmers Market Pavilion!

Funds from the kickoff and the series will be used to build a new folklife series, honoring Billee, an indomitable
woman whose artistic imagination created such enduring events as murder mystery plays, guest tours, bus
“hijackings,” and the ongoing storytelling event at Exchange Place known as Witches Wynd (to be held this
year on October 18 and 19). A community activist, she was involved in the creation of Darrell’s Dream, the
unique Warriors Path State Park playground. Billee was also a staunch supporter of the rich history and
culture that is so abundant in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. This folklife series, following her
legacy, will feature programming that engages community members of all ages in family-friendly explorations
of regional folk culture and arts. The series will be as lively and joyful as the woman who inspired it, while
bringing attention to the role of Exchange Place: interpreting the region’s history and culture in ways that
bring people together for both education and enjoyment.

For more information, please write to Exchange Place at exchangeplacefarm@yahoo.com

Exchange Place is a living history farm whose mission is to preserve and interpret the heritage of mid-
nineteenth century farm life in Northeast Tennessee. Exchange Place is a non-profit organization, maintained
and operated entirely by volunteers and supported solely by donations, fundraisers, memberships and grants.