Beach Music returns to Festival Park
Published 12:45 am Friday, September 16, 2011
Around 2,000 people could converge on the Washington waterfront Sunday for the eighth-annual Pirates Beach Music Festival at Festival Park.
On the bill are the bands Jim Quick & Coastline, Hip Pocket, Chairmen of the Board and Spare Change.
Tickets cost $15 each in advance or $20 apiece at the gate.
Attendees who wish to pitch pop-up tents may reserve space for their tents at $20 per spot.
“Coolers, Blankets, Chairs Welcome. No Glass Allowed,” reads the website of the Washington Harbor District Alliance, which is heading up the event.
Food vendors will be on hand, including barbecue specialists from The Skylight Inn of Ayden, Warren’s Hot Dogs of Greenville and others.
The Blue Door Café, located on Water Street, will also be open during the show, said Beth Byrd, executive director of WHDA.
The concerts raise money for the nonprofit WHDA, which the organization in turn provides to community groups for various projects, Byrd explained.
A year ago, WHDA gave $7,000 for work on the completion of Festival Park, she said. “It’s a great time, but without this kind of money we can do a lot of great things but not like if you’ve got a nice pot of cash,” Byrd commented.
The Beaufort County Arts Council and the Washington Area Historic Foundation are selling tickets to the festival as fundraisers and will get to keep a percentage of their ticket sales, she pointed out.
“Not only does it help our cause but we try to spread the wealth and let some other agencies make some money out of this, too,” Byrd said.
For more information, call Byrd at 252-947-1487.
Mac Hodges is promotions chairman for WHDA.
Hodges observed that one of the festival bands, Spare Change, played for the local July 4 celebration.
“They’re back and they’re going to close the show,” he said.
Overall, he called the festival’s musical fare “a pretty exciting lineup.”
And Festival Park is ready to shine, Hodges indicated.
“The park is looking really great,” he said. “They have pretty much tried to get a lot of it completed before this.”