N.C. State Fair

Before going onstage.


We performed at the North Carolina State Fair Folk Festival on Monday October 19, 2009. This year's theme was "A WHOLE LOTTA HAPPY!" Which we all had! Before going on, we had a short prayer asking God that His will would be done, and that He would be glorified! Jackson, Connor and Holly all did lively instrumental solos while the band performed a new song called "Old Slew Foot" and "I'll Fly Away". We also would like to thank all our friends for attending and supporting us at the Folk Festival. The Folk Festival has 2 shows. One at 10 a.m. and the other at 2 p.m. After performing, we rode rides with friends, and had a BLAST! The band won the Bascom Lamar Lunsford trophy last year, which is the greatest trophy of the Folk Festival. Outside of the Folk Festival tent was a sign with the winning results from last year. Lord willing, we will be out there again next year!


Last year's results!


Next to last year's resuts.


Checking the microphones.

WSVS High Noon Hoedown

We performed on the High Noon Hoedown yesterday at the WSVS radio station in Crewe, Virginia. It was an AWESOME experience and packed with historical significance! Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, who performed there some fifty years ago, are among those who have performed on WSVS. If the Lord's willing, we are planning on going back some time in March. So, tune in! You can visit WSVS's website at: www.wsvsam.com.

Abbotswood

The band performed at Abbotswood in Raleigh on Friday September 4th. Caleb, Jackson, Connor and Holly performed without Mark because he wanted to sit back and watch the younger generation play. Although, he did come up and play a song with us. We had a great time, the residents enjoyed it, and we hope to go back soon!

Emerald Pond 8.27.09

We performed out at Emerald Pond in Durham on Thursday August 27th at 11 a.m. for their Corn Festival. This was their first performance without Mark (dad), and it went well. After the performance, we had lunch in the dining room and also listened to a man speak on corn, popcorn, ect... We also taste-tested popcorn to debate which one tasted the best. It was Oriville Redenbacher: Movie Theater Butter, and Act II Butter; and Oriville Redenbacher reched the highest ratings. Our grandmother, Shirley Briggs, and our aunt, Betty Lovitte also attended.

The Layton farm

We performed at our friend, Talmage Layton's farm on Saturday for Bethesda Baptist Church's Choir party. After eating some delicious BBQ, we played a 45 minute set. We had a wonderful time, as well as everybody there. We hope to play at some more of their functions in the near future!

National Night Out

Last night we performed at the National Night Out in Wake Forest in the Super Target parking lot. National Night Out (NNO) teams law enforcement agencies with citizens, community leaders, civic groups, and local businesses to promote safe, healthy neighborhoods. NNO is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

The highlight of the evening was when a military helicopter landed and took off in the parking lot. It was our honor to perform at this event, and we hope to do it again in the near future!

Sacred Grounds Coffee House

Tonight, we performed at The Sacred Grounds Coffee House located on 2700 N. Roxboro St. in Durham (beside St. Paul United Methodist Church). The church owns the coffeehouse, and every Saturday, they have free music. They kindly ask for donations for the bands, as well as to help run their bussiness. You are guaranteed to have a great time fellowshipping with others, but most of all, in Christ!
We played a 50 min. set, took a break, mingled a bit, and then went back to playing music for another 45 minutes. We play there about every 3 months, and look forward to returning soon!

The Gardens at Wakefield

We performed at the Gardens at Wakfield in Wake Forest tonight. We played an hour set, and had a wonderful time! The residents really enjoyed it, and we did as well! Here are a few photos from today.

Alleghany Fiddler's Convention

Over the weekend, we performed at the Alleghany Fiddler's Convention in Sparta, NC. We all entered into a competition individually as well as the group. The Band placed 4th; Jackson placed 3rd for his banjo, Connor placed 2nd for his mandolin, and Caleb placed 1st for his bass! We give God the Glory, and we praise and thank HIM for blessing us with the gift of music, and for ALL His blessings!
Mark, holding the 4th Place ribbon, Karen, Connor holding his 2nd Place ribbon, Caleb holding his 1st Place ribbon, and Jackson holding his 3rd Place ribbon.

July 10th and 11th

This past Friday, we played at our friend Lynn Morgan's husband's surprise 40th birthday in at Carolina BBQ in Garner, NC. We had a wonderful time and met some new people and had a delicious meal! BBQ, hushpuppies, fried chircken, and of course, birthday cake! On Saturday, we played at The Lodge in Wake Forest. The residents enjoyed it and so did we! Right after we played, there was a very special guest. ELVIS! Well, an impersonator. And he did a good job, too. It was good seeing him alive and well! Well, that has been our weekend!

4th of July weekend

This weekend has been pretty busy for us. Yesterday for the 4th of July, we performed in Cary at a retirement home called Jordan Oaks. Then, we performed at the Stand Up for America 4th of July Celebration at the Franklinton Football Stadium in Franklinton, NC. The weather was beautiful, and we had a wonderful day!

We also performed today at the Eno Festival in Durham. We played at the Meadow stage at 12 p.m., and again at the Chimney Corner Stage at 3:00 p.m. It was a right messy day, but we enjoyed the atmosphere and had a great time!

Durham Regent

We performed a 45-min. set out at Durham Regent tonight. Durham Regent is a retirement home located off of Pickett Rd. in Durham. We had a great time, and so did the residents out there. We have performing there for the past 3 years, and just have a wonderful time visiting and entertaining them with this wonderful gift that God Himself has given to us. The show started at 7:15 p.m. and ended around 8:00 p.m.

Abbottswood and Perry's Chapel

Today, we performed at Abbottswood retirement home in Raleigh at 2 o'clock, and the performance went great! We enjoyed performing for the residents and just had a great time entertaining them. Then at 6 o'clock tonight, we performed at Perry's Chapel in Franklinton, NC. We also had a wonderful time fellowshipping with them and singing to the Lord. Our pastor, Bubba Parrish and his wife, Debbie, from Angier Avenue Baptist Church came, along with our friends: Debbie Monk, Dolly Appel, Johnny George, Terry and Eileen Shuff, Kenny and Sylvia Bigham, and Ruth Osteen. Our grandparents, Bill and Sarah Hagwood attended as well, along with some people from their church, and afterwards, they had refreshments. We hope to perform at these venues again, because not only did the people enjoy us, but we enjoyed them as well!

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From L to R: Mark and Carol Tilley, Caleb, Bubba and Debbie Parrish, Dolly Appel, Brianna Rigsbee, Debbie Monk, Johnny George, Terry and Eileen Shuff, and Jackson.

The Murdoch Center

We performed at the Murdoch Center in Butner, NC last night at 7 p.m. There was a wonderful turn-out, and we had a magnificent time performing for them. The Murdoch Center is a place where people with down syndrome, mentally handicap, etc.. live and have caregivers who help them out. A couple years back, we went to the Murdoch Center with Bethesda Baptist Church and pushed residents to Chapel the last Sunday morning of every other month, and we gave them our name, and have now been performing out there for the past few years. They would appreciate any donation that you send them. Their mailing address is:
1600 East
CP.O. Box 3000
Butner, North Carolina 27509.

Beach Trip 2009

The Bethesda Bluegrass Boys at the Carolina House.

We took a 10-day vacation to one of our favorite beaches, Emerlad Isle. We left on Thurday May 28th, and stopped to perform at the Carolina House in Morehead City. Every year, we try to arrange a trip to the beach, and we always rent a condo at Summerwinds. After settling in, and on Saturday May 30th, we performed at Military Appreciatio Day in Morehead City. We were accompanied by Holly Riley, who came down the 29th with her family. We were honored to perform for the troops and had a wonderful time. It did rain shortly before we played, but it cleared up. What started as bad weather, became beautiful [weather]! After performing, we ate lunch a couple blocks from where we played, and also listened to a Military band, who did a great job as well! We praised God for our safe travel, and were truly blessed for Him allowing us to go out and do what he has called us to do, to glorify His name!


The Bethesda Bluegrass Boys at Military Appreciation Day.

Shuff cook-out

We performed at Terry and Eileen Shuff's house yesterday at their cook-out. The Shuff's have been in Durham since November of last year and are apart of a misnistry called Raven Ministries, which is: Restoring A Vision Evangelizing Nations. Please support Raven Ministries by contributing to their [ministry]; and please visit Pastor Terry Shuff's blog at: www.ravenraleighnc.blogspot.com.

Crossings at Heritage

We performed at Crossings at Heritage in Wake Forest, NC today at 6:00 p.m. There was a cookout with many residents in attendance. The residents showed enthusiasm by clapping, singing along, and participating in a contest for "best sunglasses'.

The weather was beautiful, but HOT! Our grandparents were able to join us, along with Holly Riley and our friend, Kira Gurganus. A BIG thanks to our friend, Donna McDowell for arranging the performance!

Emerald Pond

We peformed at Emerald Pond in Durham, NC on Sunday afternoon. The residents were really enthusiastic. A long time friend of the family, Ms. Shirley Ogburn, lived out at the facility and helped arrange our first performance in 2006. Sadly on February 28, 2008, Shirley died. We still perform there regulary, but there's always an empty seat of where she would have been sitting.

Glenn School Road Baptist Church

At 6:00 p.m., we performed at Glenn School Road Baptist Church for 45 minutes. We played some of our new songs, (mentioned in the previous post), and some of our original numbers. Our next public performance will be on Saturday May 30, at the Military Appreciation Day in Morehead City, NC. Be sure to come out and hear us!


The Hight Family with the Bethesda Bluegrass Boys.

Monday Night Music at the Ruritan

(From L to R: Mark Hagwood, Holly Riley, Caleb, Jackson, and Connor Hagwood.)

We returned to their home venue at the Monday Night Music at the Bethesda Ruritan Club for a one-hour performance. We were glad to be back, and enjoyed seeing many old friends and a lot of new faces. We played some new songs including: "Me and Jesus (Got our own Thing Goin')", written and performed by Tom T. Hall, and "There is a Time" written and performed by the Dillards. The Monday Night Music started in January 2005 and continues to run every second and fourth Monday nights. This music event has drawn many people who thoroughly enjoy listening to bluegrass, country, and folk-type music. The Bethesda Bluegrass Boys opened the show every music night until passing it on to fellow Ruritan member and Monday Night Music musician, Titus Duke. The program runs from 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at the club, located at 1714 S. Miami Blvd. in Durham, NC. So, come on out whenever you get the chance!


(From L to R: Holly Riley, Caleb Hagwood, and Jackson Hagwood.)

Loco Lu's Coffeehouse

We performed at the Loco Lu's Coffeehouse located on 5210 Hollyridge Dr. in Raleigh. The performance went well, and we had a fun time. We played from 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. Loco Lu's Coffee House is a wonderful place, and they would really appreciate your patronship! Please visit them at: www.locolu.com.

Relay for Life

We performed at the Relay for Life this morning at Bunn High School in Bunn, North Carolina. The performance ran from 10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society's signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length. Teams of people from all walks of life have fun while raising much-needed funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment. Please support the Cancer Society by visiting their website at: http://www.cancer.org/

Tax Tea Party 4.15.09

We were honored to perform at the Raleigh Tax Day Tea Party today at 6:00 p.m. in Downtown Raleigh at the Capitol building. It was a national gathering across the country protesting the "new" government's use of the peoples' tax money! Guest speakers included: N.C. Senator Phil Berger, 2008 N.C. Governor canidate Mike Munger, former canidate for US House of Representatives BJ Lawson; Larry Hull with Fair Taxation, and Senior at Duke University & John Locke Intern, Abby Alger. The Raleigh Tea Party was hosted by local radio personality, Bill LuMaye, of news talk 680 WPTF.
The Bethesda Bluegrass Boys with Bill LuMaye.

The Rex Theater

On Friday night April 10, 2009, we performed a 2 hour set on the Rex Theater Stage in Galax Virginia. The show ran from 8 - 10 p.m. and was a true success! Performing with them on fiddle was Miss Holly Riley of Durham. Please visit the Rex Theater's website at http://www.rextheatergalax.com/.













From L to R: Jackson, Caleb, Holly, Mark, and Connor.