By By CHRIST PROKOS
Staff Writer
If you plan to attend the seventh-annual Pirates Beach Music Fest this Sunday, expect a show that is both bigger and better.
“Our stage is bigger this year, and we’ve added more vendors,” said John Moore, master of ceremonies and radio personality from WNCT 107.9 FM. “If you were there last year, you should expect bigger this year.”
After five years at the Pitt County Fairgrounds, the afternoon concert is returning to Festival Park on the Washington waterfront next to the North Carolina Estuarium for a second consecutive year. The Band of Oz, Hip Pocket, The Fantastic Shakers and Coastline will be performing classic beach music as well as original numbers into the evening.
“(Spectators) will see the top four bands in North Carolina in one show which is unusual,” Moore said. “This is probably the best lineup of this type of any concert in North Carolina against the backdrop of the water. It’s the perfect place for it right on the waterfront.”
According to Beth Byrd, director of the Washington Harbor District Alliance, a portion of the proceeds from the show will go toward funding a permanent music pavilion at Festival Park. Last year’s show drew 2,000 people and raised $8,000 for the pavilion building fund.
“We work closely with the (Washington-Beaufort County) Chamber of Commerce, the Turnage Theater, the Beaufort County Arts Council and the Washington Area Historic Foundation,” Byrd said. “We give them a chunk of tickets to sell, and they keep a third of the ticket price for their organizations — and they supply volunteers for the event. If you go to one of those organizations (for tickets), they make out as well.”
Advance tickets for the concert may be purchased at the Washington Visitor Center. Tickets are $15 per person in advance or $20 a person at the gate, which will open at noon. The music is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Spectators are encouraged to bring coolers, blankets and chairs. Glass containers are prohibited.
For more information on the Pirates Beach Music Fest, visit the Washington Harbor District Alliance website at http://www.whda.org/or call 252-946-3969.