#tomorrow marks the last day of the foundational classics category

[saucy-mesothelioma]

October 6th: Halloween

Halloween was released in 1978 and was directed by John Carpenter. In 1963, a six year old Michael Myers (primarily Nick Castle, but played by Tony Moran for the final scene) brutally murdered his older sister. Now, 15 years later, he has escaped custody and has returned to his home of Haddonfield. While Michael's psychiatrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) is on a desperate search for him, the masked murderer soon sets his sights on babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). There is hardly a person who hasn't seen the famous Michael Myers mask or as gone without hearing the iconic theme. Directed by the "Master of Horror" John Carpenter, this movie is often credited as being the source of many horror tropes of the past decades. From the final girl to "sex by death", Halloween was the horror movie that elevated these tropes to the next level, as well as creating the most famous (but not the first, that title goes to Fay Wray) Scream Queen, Jamie Lee Curtis. Although it wasn't the first slasher, it was the one that ignited the sub-genre and as such influenced other horror giants such as Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and has since been a prime example of what makes a great horror film.

It can be watched for free on Xumo Play, PLEX, and Internet Archive.

Content Warnings for the Film (may contain spoilers): nudity, sex, violence, multiple dog deaths, jumpscares

[the-record-briefs]

April 10, 2019: In other news

Wilkes-based group to compete in MeleFest

 band competition

The Wilkes County-based band, Alex Key and the Locksmiths, will    participate in the MerleFest Band Competition.

The event will be held on the Plaza Stage    on Saturday the April 27 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Judged by members of The Local Boys and emceed by Mark Bumgarner, the    competition’s winners will be announced at 4 p.m. on the Plaza Stage. The winning band will head over to the Cabin Stage, where    they will perform to an enthusiastic MerleFest audience from 6:35 to 7    p.m. 

This year’s    band competition finalists also include Shay Martin Lovette (Boone), Pretty Little Goat (Brevard), None of the Above (Piedmont Triad), Brooks Forsyth (Boone), Massive Grass (Wilmington), Redleg Husky (Asheville),    and The Mike Mitchell Band (Floyd,    Va.).

MerleFest has    also announced the winners of the 2019 Chris Austin Songwriting    Competition.

From its first    incarnation in 1993, MerleFest’s annual Chris Austin    Songwriting Competition has seen    the likes of Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt, and Martha Scanlan rise to the    top of an always competitive field of up-and-coming    songwriters. Legendary songwriters have presided over the competition    from the start as judges, too. Darrell Scott, Hayes Carll, and the late,    great Guy Clark have all taken a turn at judging the CASC. This year,    the event will be judged byJoey    Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, better known as The Milk Carton Kids, Cruz Contreras of    The Black Lillies, and Texas-troubadour    Radney Foster. Mr. Americana Jim Lauderdale will host the competition and Mark Bumgarner will return as emcee for    the finalist contest taking place at MerleFest’s Austin Stage on Friday,    April 26th at 2:00 p.m.

This year’s    Chris Austin Songwriting Competition Finalists each fall into one of four    categories:

Bluegrass:

Wyatt Espalin (Hiawassee, Ga.):    “Light Coming Through”

Anya Hinkle (Asheville): “Ballad Of Zona Abston”

James Woolsey (Petersburg,    Ind.) and David Foster (Petersburg,     IN): “Sugar Ridge Road”

Country:

Hannah Kaminer (Asheville): “Don’t Open Your Heart”

Andrew Millsaps (Ararat): “Ain’t No Genie (In    A Bottle Of Jack)”

Shannon Wurst (Fayetteville, Ark.):    “Better Than Bourbon”

General:

Wright Gatewood (Chicago, Ill.):    “First”

Alexa Rose (Asheville): “Medicine For Living”

Bryan Elijah Smith (Dayton, Va.):    “In Through The Dark”

Gospel/Inspirational:

Ashleigh Caudill (Nashville, Tenn.)    and Jon Weisberger (Cottontown, Tenn.):    “Walkin’ Into Gloryland”

Kevin T. Hale (Brentwood, Tenn.):    “We All Die To Live Again”

Russ Parrish (Burnsville,    Minn.) and Topher King (Savage, Minn.): “Washed By The Water”

All three    finalists in each category will have the chance to perform their songs for    the judges on MerleFest’s Austin Stage before category winners are    ultimately decided on Friday.

Net proceeds    from the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest support the Wilkes Community    College Chris Austin Memorial Scholarship. Since its inception, the    scholarship has been awarded to 91 deserving students.

Tickets for    this year’s festival, backstage tours, as well as the Late Night Jam    sponsored by The Bluegrass    Situation, may be purchased at www.MerleFest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. MerleFest offers a    three-tiered pricing structure and encourages fans to take advantage of the    extended early bird discount. Early Bird Tier 2 tickets will be    available through April 24th. Remaining tickets will be sold at the gate    during the festival. Headliners    include The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Amos Lee, Wynonna & the Big    Noise, Del McCoury Band, Dailey & Vincent, Tyler Childers, Keb’ Mo’,    Sam Bush, The Earls of Leicester, and Peter Rowan and The Free Mexican Air    Force. The Late Night Jam sponsored by The Bluegrass Situation    will be hosted by Chatham County Line. In addition to the above-mentioned    artists, the following will be performing at MerleFest ‘19:

American    Aquarium, Andy May, Ana Egge & The Sentimentals, Ashley Heath and Her    Heathens, AZTEC SUN, Banknotes, Bob Hill, Cane Mill Road, Carol Rifkin,    Carolina Blue, Casey Kristofferson Band, Catfish Keith, Charles Welch,    Chris Rodrigues with Abby the Spoonlady, David LaMotte, Dirk Powell Band,    Donna the Buffalo, Driftwood, Elephant Sessions, Elizabeth Cook, Ellis    Dyson & The Shambles, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Happy    Traum, Irish Mythen, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Jim Avett, Jim    Lauderdale, Joe Smothers, Jontavious Willis and Andrew Alli, Josh Goforth,    Junior Brown, Junior Sisk, Larry Stephenson Band, Laura Boosinger, Lindi    Ortega, Mark Bumgarner, Mark & Maggie O’Connor, Maybe April, Michaela    Anne, Mile Twelve, The Milk Carton Kids, Mitch Greenhill and String    Madness, Molly Tuttle, Nixon, Blevins, & Gage, Pete & Joan Wernick    and FLEXIGRASS, Presley Barker, Professor Whizzpop!, Radney Foster, Roy    Book Binder, Salt & Light, Scythian, Sean McConnell, Shane Hennessy, Si    Kahn & The Looping Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Steve Poltz, T.    Michael Coleman, The Black Lillies, The Brother Brothers, The Gibson    Brothers, The Harris Brothers, The InterACTive Theatre of Jeff, The Kruger    Brothers, The Local Boys, The Trailblazers, The Waybacks, Todd Albright,    Tom Feldmann, Tony Williamson, Uncle Joe and The Shady Rest, Valerie Smith    & Liberty Pike, Wayne Henderson, Webb Wilder, and Yarn. The lineup and performance    schedules are accessible viaMerleFest.org/lineup.

MerleFest is    pleased to partner with Come    Hear NC, a promotional campaign of the North Carolina Department of    Natural & Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Arts Council, to    celebrate 2019 as “The Year of Music,” a designation Governor Roy Cooper announced in November    of last year. MerleFest, honoring its locale, has programmed over 40    artists who currently call North      Carolina home, each artist representing a    different aspect of the state’s great musical history. Come Hear NC was    designed to celebrate North Carolinians’ groundbreaking contributions to    many of America’s most important musical genres — blues, bluegrass, jazz,    country, gospel, Americana, rock and everything in-between. It’s fitting    then, with 2019 as “The Year of Music,” that the Steep Canyon Rangers, also    proud North Carolinians, would debut their    North Carolina Songbook set at MerleFest.

About MerleFest:

MerleFest was    founded in 1988 in memory of the son of the late American music legend Doc    Watson, renowned guitarist Eddy Merle Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of    "traditional plus" music, a unique mix of traditional,    roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including old-time,    classic country, bluegrass, folk and gospel and blues, and expanded to    include Americana, classic rock and many other styles. The festival hosts a    diverse mix of artists on its 13 stages during the course of the four-day    event. MerleFest has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation,    funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.

About Window World:

Window World,    headquartered in North Wilkesboro, N.C., is America’s largest replacement    window and exterior remodeling company, with more than 200 locally owned    offices nationwide. Founded in 1995, the company sells and installs    windows, siding, doors and other exterior products, with over 15 million    windows sold to date. Window World is an ENERGY STAR partner and its    windows, vinyl siding and Therma-Tru doors have all earned the Good    Housekeeping Seal. Through its charitable foundation, Window World Cares, the Window World family provides funding for St. Jude    Children’s Research Hospital, which honored the foundation with its    Organizational Support Award in 2017. Since its inception in 2008, the    foundation has raised over $8 million for St. Jude. Window World also    supports the Veterans Airlift Command, a nonprofit organization that    facilitates free air transportation to wounded veterans and their families.    Window World has flown over 100 missions and surpassed $1 million in    flights and in-kind donations since it began its partnership with the VAC    in 2008. For more information, visit www.WindowWorld.com or call 1-800 NEXTWINDOW. For home improvement and    energy efficiency tips, décor ideas and more, follow Window World on Facebookand Twitter.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural    Resources:

The N.C.    Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency    with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural    resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of    North Carolina.    NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating    opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and    nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity,    preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage,    encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic    development.

NCDNCR includes    27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science    museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 39 state parks and recreation    areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation's first state-supported Symphony Orchestra,    the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State    Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the    Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call    (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.

About the North Carolina    Arts Council

The North    Carolina Arts Council builds on our state’s long-standing love of the arts,    leading the way to a more vibrant future. The Arts Council is an economic    catalyst, fueling a thriving nonprofit creative sector that generates $2.12    billion in annual direct economic activity. The Arts Council also sustains    diverse arts expression and traditions while investing in innovative    approaches to art-making. The North Carolina Arts Council has proven to be    a champion for youth by cultivating tomorrow’s creative citizens through    arts education. http://www.NCArts.org

 For more information, visit www.MerleFest.org.