Mountain City Traditional Arts will be reopening for the Spring Semester Thursday, January 19th. The venue is hitting the ground running with some some excellent programs planned for the upcoming months. Located at 25 East Main Street, Frostburg, the venue is dedicated to the education, sales, documentation and perpetuation of the traditional arts in the mountain region.

Thursday, January 19: John Francis and Amy Fabbri, 7-10 PM (Free Show, Donations Appreciated)

Thursday, January 26: Traditional Foods in Appalachia, with Mimi Hernandez, 6:30-8:30 PM (Free)

Thursday, February 2: Medicinal Flora of Appalachia, with Mimi Hernandez, 6:30-8:30 PM (Free)

Sunday, February 12: Duo Traditional Irish Fiddle Music & Songs, featuring Jesse Smith and Ryan McGiver,   3 PM, Cosponsored by 91.9 WFWM (Free Show, Donations Appreciated) 

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Music: John Francis and Amy Fabbri, Thursday, January 19, 7-10 PM

John Francis returns to Frostburg with more songs of pathos and prophecy. The human side of the political is his specialty. Those who met him and heard him this summer at Common Ground on Martin's Mountain, tell your friends! A longtime friend of Jon Felton, he's been coming here for years, recorded his first album here, and now he has new songs and stories to tell. Often described as "Johnny Cash meets Jeff Buckley," John's show is one not to miss if you want roots music from now.

Frostburg resident Amy Fabbri grew up surrounded by music, singing with her mother in a family band. Inspired further by the rich folk music tradition she discovered in North Carolina, as a teenager she began playing the mountain dulcimer, using it to accompany her on ballads. Recently, she's been performing with Soulmobile. Amy counts her mom, Doc Watson and Jean Ritchie as some of her greatest influences.  

Talks on Traditional Foods and Medicinal Flora slated for Mountain City Traditional Arts, Thursday, January 26 and Thursday, Feb 2, 6:30-8:30 PM

Mimi Hernandez, Outreach Coordinator of the Appalachian Center for Ethnobotanical Studies at Frostburg State University, will give two talks this winter at Mountain City Traditional Arts. Both events are free and open to the public. 

Traditional Foods in Appalachia, Thursday, January 26, 6:30-8:30 PM

Traditional Foods in Appalachia: Appalachian heritage is rich with a variety of medicinal foods from the wild and from beyond. Learn the distinction between native, cultivated, and exotic ingredients in our diet. Learn the ethnobotany and history of commonmy eaten foods in the Appalachian region. We will discuss native foods such as ramps, pawpaw, maple syrup, berries, persimmons, and more! Learn how wild bitter greens support the liver and set the stage for digestion. On the exotic side, find out that when cooked properly, cultivated shitake mushrooms which are easy to grow on Appalachian hardwood are immune boosting and cancer preventing. And discover some of the common household spices that can kick your health up a notch.

Medicinal Flora of Appalachia, Thursday, February 2, 6:30-8:30 PM

Medicinal Flora of Appalachia: The Appalachia area is one of the most diverse and abundant ecosystems for medicinal plants. Find out why in this class designed to familiarize students with the most common medicinal herbs of our area. Learn the fascinating stories of their traditional uses and how science supports many of those uses. This lecture will highlight a variety of NEW plants not yet discussed in the Mountain Herbalists Series!!

Mimi Hernandez, MS, RH(AHG) is an herbal and holistic health educator whose courses balance traditional reverence with scientific understanding and intuitive awareness. She is the Outreach Coordinator of the Appalachian Center for Ethnobotanical Studies at Frostburg State University. A member of the governing council of the American Herbalists Guild, Mimi received her Master of Science in Herbal Medicine from the Tai Sophia Institute. With roots in Asheville, NC, Mimi is a founder of the One World Healing Arts Institute. She also draws upon her rich ethnic background & the Granny healers in her life. Mimi believes that the handing down of plant wisdom is essential. www.mimihernandez.com

Duo of TRADITIONAL IRISH FIDDLE MUSIC AND SONGS,

Sunday, February 12, 3 PM—FREE Cosponsored by 91.9 WFWM.

Jesse Smith (Fiddle) & Ryan McGiver (Guitar, Vocals)

JESSE SMITH, An American musician who grew up in Baltimore immersed in the thriving Irish music tradition of that city, has li...ved in Ireland for over thirteen years now. Both of his parents are musicians and he started playing the fiddle at an early age, studying with the renowned teacher and player Brendan Mulvihill. In 1998 his love for the music took him to Ireland to stay, where he made his mark as a fiddler touring and recording with the great Irish band Danú.

RYAN MCGIVER, Singer/Guitarist Ryan McGiver has toured extensively

throughout the US, Asia, Australia and Europe over the past decade playing a mixture of traditional Irish and American music. He has recorded and shared stages with a diverse and eclectic mix of traditional, folk and rock musicians including Kevin Crawford, Cillian Vallely, Susan McKeown, Edel Fox, Doug Wieselman, Jolie Holland and Shahzad Ismaily to name a few.

This concert is brought to you in part by a grant from Cultural Ireland.

Links

http://www.mdmountainside.com/attraction/mountain_city_traditional_arts

http://www.ctims.info/

 (info and sound clip for Jesse)

http://ryanmcgiver.com/

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1onNTdd_0Xk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brOZ-HTB4mw

A program of Frostburg State University, located at 25 East Main Street, Frostburg, MD, Mountain City Traditional Arts is dedicated to the education, sales, documentation and perpetuation of traditional arts in the mountain region.