The annual Opry Night at the Pocahontas County Opera House has come to represent some of the best bluegrass and old-time traditional talent in the region. This year’s program, set for Saturday, February 17, at 7:30 p.m., will feature local favorites Juanita Fireball and the Continental Drifters and award-winning banjo player Trevor Hammons.
Juanita Fireball and the Continental Drifters debuted at the Opera House in 2008, although they have been making music in one form or another for years. They play the Appalachian string band tunes that they learned from old-timers in West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, and sing songs about animals, outlaws, fruit, and love, with a few gospel numbers for balance. The high energy of their hard-driving music will have you dancing.
The band consists of Mike “Juanita Fireball” Burns and Jay “Pluto” Lockman on twin fiddles; Mary Sue “Lulu” Burns on clawhammer banjo; Wayne “Handyman” Walton on the doghouse bass, and John “Rev. Sleepy John” Sparks on guitar.
Scott Nelson will be joining in on fiddle for Opry Night.
Banjo player Trevor Hammons carries on the storied history of his great-grandfather Lee Hammons, who influenced a generation of old-time musicians. In just seven years of playing, Trevor has quickly earned a reputation as masterful musician, earning honors at the Galax Old-Time Fiddlers convention and Clifftop String Band Festival, and the Vandalia Gathering.
Tickets are $10 for adults. Youth 17 and younger are admitted free of charge. Tickets are available at the door and in advance at pocahontasoperahouse.org or the 4th Avenue Gallery in Marlinton.
The Pocahontas County Opera House is located at 818 Third Avenue in Marlinton. Performances at the Opera House are informal, family-friendly and open to all. The entrance and main seating are accessible to persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to attend; special accommodations can be arranged upon request by calling 304-799-6645.
The Opera House Performance Series is presented with financial assistance through a grant from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. Support is also provided by Pocahontas County Dramas, Fairs and Festivals and the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
