Organizers of the second annual Bridge Day concert in Fayetteville say they expect several thousand guests to attend the two-day lineup, thanks in part to inclusion of the big-name band – The Kentucky Headhunters, pioneers of the Southern rock genre.
Bill Wells, co-founder of the Oct. 14-15 performance series, says response is exceeding what he and other proponents had expected from the fledgling event, now in its second year.
“Our numbers are far better than they had been at this time last year, which we think is partly a result of securing The Kentucky Headhunters, a band whose audience has a strong overlap with Bridge Day festival-goers in West Virginia,” Wells said.
“However, we’ve accomplished much more in this second year in terms of attracting an audience – adding camping, coordinating with local events, and building on the area’s strength as an outdoor-recreation destination.”
Toward those ends, Bridge Jam will feature performances on a full stage near the historic district in Fayetteville as well as a late night bonfire venue.
The concert has also been scheduled to accommodate guests who would prefer to wander freely between the festival grounds and Fayetteville’s adjacent historic district and the bridge, located less than two miles away.
Friday performances begin at 8:30 p.m. with The Grascals, followed by Step Into The Blue at 10:30 p.m. Saturday performances begin at 12:30 p.m. with Matt Mullins & The Bringdowns, followed at 2:30 p.m. by John Inghram’s Slugfest, Travers Brothership at 4:30 p.m., John Ellison & The Carpenter Ants at 6:30 p.m., The Kentucky Headhunters at 8:30 p.m., and Step Into The Blue at 10:30 p.m.
Other Bridge Jam events will include yoga workshops and the nearby New River Plein Air Art Festival that features the work of area artists and draws on the New River Gorge region for inspiration.
Admission for Friday evening’s performances will be $15 at the gate or $12.50 in advance, for Saturday admission will be $30 at the gate or $25 in advance, and for both days it will be $45 at the gate or $37.50 in advance.
On-site accommodations for tents near the performance area will be $125 and will include two admission tickets, portable showers, and toilets. On-site accommodations for RVs will be $175 and will include four tickets, portable showers, and toilets, but no hook-ups.
Exclusive group and corporate tent sites inside the festival grounds with a view of the stage are available at $300 for Saturday and $400 for the weekend and include eight admission tickets and parking passes.
Bridge Jam will donate 25 percent of proceeds to the Fayetteville Rotary Club, the Fayetteville Arts Coalition, and the New River Gorge Trail Alliance.
Event sponsors include Miller-Coors, Pies & Pints, Bridge Brew Works, BB&T, Capital Beverage Company, Quality Inn, United Bank, ACE Adventure Resort, Secret Sandwich Society, Priority Ambulance Service.
For more information or to buy discounted tickets, visit theBridgeJam.com. Updates on the event are also broadcast on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.