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By VIKKI BROUGHTON HODGES
The Dispatch
The Childress Vineyards winery has begun its "Music on the Terrace" weekend concert series featuring regional acts who perform everything from pop and rock to country and jazz.
The first concert actually was held last Saturday as something of a trial run, but the concert series, which is free, is now set from this weekend through mid-July, said Penny Allen, marketing and special events coordinator at the winery.
"I'm trying to get a good variety - something for everyone," Allen said of the acts booked for the concert series, most of whom are groups from Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Charlotte. "We hope to have some larger names later in the summer. And if it goes well, we may even expand to Thursday nights. But we're still in the planning stages."
Allen said the performances will be on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m. The winery itself is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily except Sunday, when it is open from noon to 6 p.m. The Italian bistro at the winery is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.
"The idea is that you can get lunch at the bistro, enjoy the food, wine and weather out on the terrace and hear some good music," Allen said.
The terrace on the back side of the winery overlooks the vineyards and can seat about 100 people, Allen said. If there is a big crowd, the fermentation walkway area, which also has tables and chairs and is adjacent to the terrace, can serve the overflow.
If it rains, the performances will be moved inside the winery, she said.
The winery already draws a good amount of out-of-town visitors on the weekends, Allen said.
"We're getting quite a few people from Winston-Salem and even Raleigh and Charlotte," she said. "We're trying to get more people to come to Lexington and see that it's not just barbecue. There are a lot of things to do here."
This weekend, the winery will have concerts both Saturday and Sunday. Reese & Hurley will perform Saturday. One half of the duo, Dallas Reese of Kernersville, is a disc jockey on WTQR who also has a syndicated show heard on several stations in the Southeast. He plays piano and guitar. Hurley, who lives in East Bend, is a guitarist and guitar teacher. Allen said they play classic pop, rock, country, blues and jazz.
Acoustic guitar duo Melonbelly, comprising Burke Long and Cliff Castelloe from Charlotte, will play Sunday. The group's Web site states that "the two singer/songwriters entertain a wide audience with renditions of popular songs from early rock and roll, to blues and modern-day hits. Their performances are marked by precise vocal harmonies and intricate guitar playing."
Other performers lined up for the series include Aura 3 from Winston-Salem on May 14. The female acoustic trio of singers/songwriters perform their own original material as well as songs by Fleetwood Mac and Heart.
Wishful Thinking is set to play June 25 and 26. They play a variety of music, including Motown, disco, rhythm and blues and Top 40.
Several other performers scheduled for the series are jazz influenced. The Poindexter Jazz Trio from Winston-Salem will play jazz, standards, blues and soul on May 22.
On the Memorial Day weekend, two jazz groups are scheduled. The Likewise Trio, featuring Lynne Goodwin, from Greensboro will perform classic jazz as well as contemporary standards on May 28 as well as July 9 and 10. The Brubakers, an instrumental jazz group, will play original music as well as covers May 29.
Music on the Terrace concert series
May 7, Reese & Hurley
May 8, Melonbelly
May 14, Aura 3
May 22, Poindexter Jazz Trio
May 28, Likewise Trio with Lynne Goodwin
May 29, Brubakers
June 4 & 5, Reese & Hurley
June 11 & 12, Melonbelly
June 18 & 19, Reese & Hurley
June 25 & 26, Wishful Thinking
July 9 & 10, Likewise Trio with Lynne Goodwin
July 16 & 17, Melonbelly
By VIKKI BROUGHTON HODGES
Vikki Broughton Hodges can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 214, or at vikki.hodges@the-dispatch.com.
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