Long Journey Home

Long Journey Home is Johnson County’s Heritage Arts and Music Celebration.

Each year this tiny mountain town comes to life with stories and songs that honor the iconic Old Time mountain music style that shaped country music as we know it. The three-day festival spans Labor Day Weekend August 29th, 30th, and 31st. This very special year marks the 100-year anniversary of the historic 1925 Fiddler’s Convention. This was the first of the big conventions and folklorists have called it a ‘watershed’ in the development of country music.

The Long Journey Home Festival will celebrate this important centenary with the release of a tribute album created by John McCutcheon and several grammy-winning guest artists including Old Crow Medicine Show, Molly Tuttle, Jake Blount, Kody Norris and more! This year’s Long Journey Home festival events include:

● Buskin’ on Main , a showcase of local and regional acoustic talent playing up and down Main Street on the evening of Friday, August 29th.

● The Musical Heritage Homecoming Tour with authentic Old-Time music played on the front porch of the Fred Price Homeplace by musicians who still carry on the legacy of true mountain music on August 30th.

● John McCutcheon Concert at Heritage Hall Theater to celebrate the release of his 1925 Fiddler’s Convention Tribute Album on August 30th.

● A traditional Sunday Singin’ at Heritage Hall Theater featuring authentic mountain gospel music on August 31st.

The fun begins on Friday evening at 6pm with Buskin’ on Main Street. This event brings the small town to life with music, friends, and plenty of good eatin’. The Long Journey Home Art Show is always a big hit at Johnson County Center for the Arts Gallery on Main. Travel back in time on Saturday, August 30st with the Musical Heritage Homecoming Tour. This year’s tour begins at the Center for the Arts Gallery on Main and travels to this year’s heritage site, the Fred Price Homeplace. Kenny Price and Jerry Moses and the Junior Appalachian Musicians will perform on the front porch and share the legacy of authentic mountain music. Bring a chair or a blanket, kick back in the shade, and enjoy an evening of outdoor music.

Folk music legend John McCutcheon was heavily influenced by our Johnson County musicians, and he will celebrate with us this Long Journey Home weekend. He will perform on Saturday night at Heritage Hall Theatre. This concert will be the official launch of John’s 1925 Fiddler’s Convention Tribute Album, a project that brings together Grammy-winning artists to perform selections from the early musicians who influenced them. Artists include Ketch Secor and Old Crow Medicine Show, Bruce Molsky, Jake Blount, and others. Join us and be the first to hear what is sure to be some amazing music. Tour maps may be picked up at the Center for the Arts and other local businesses.

The Musical Heritage Mural Mile and Long Journey Home were made possible in part through funding from East Tennessee Foundation, Johnson County Community Foundation, and Tennessee Arts Commission as well as the generosity of community members. To learn more, visit www.longjourneyhome.net. “It’s about as real as it gets. If you were wondering whether authentic Appalachia still exists, look no further.”

For more information, please contact Cristy Dunn at 423-957-6346 cristy@jocoartcenter.org