The Wake Forest Recreation Advisory Board’s annual “Wake Forest Unplugged…Get Connected” is set for this Sunday, Sept. 2, from 4-6 p.m. at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road.
“Wake Forest Unplugged…Get Connected” invites area residents to disconnect from their smart phones, computers and other electronic devices and reconnect with their community, friends and family by engaging in healthier, more active pursuits.
During Sunday’s event the Recreation Advisory Board will host a variety of organized games and activities, including sack and relay races, corn hole, and miniature golf, from 4-6 p.m. in the vicinity of the Walker Garden.
The electronics-free afternoon will culminate with a free concert in the Joyner Park Amphitheater from 5-7 p.m. featuring Ellis Dyson & The Shambles.
Ellis Dyson & The Shambles expertly blends old-time influences ranging from piedmont murder ballads to traditional jazz. The result: whiskey-soaked, foot-stompin’ songs that bring party music of departed eras to crowds both young and old. The Shambles have made waves with their theatrical and explosive live shows and masterful musicianship that electrifies every audience. Bursting with exuberance and effortless expertise, this playfully hootin’ and hollerin’ act is guaranteed to bring the ruckus.
Ellis Dyson & The Shambles consists of Ellis Dyson (banjo, vocals), Eli Wittmann (acoustic guitar), Jonathan Ng (fiddle), Adam Maloney (upright bass) Danny Abrams (soprano/alto/baritone saxophones, vocals), and Danny Grewen (trombone, vocals). The band has come together through a series of fortuitous meetings in Chapel Hill, NC beginning as a saxophone and banjo duo, the band has grown into a freight train string band with a flashy horn section.
Area residents are encouraged to bring a picnic, leashed pets, a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy the music. Food will also be available to purchase on-site. Concert-goers are reminded that alcoholic beverages, smoking and unleashed pets are prohibited at Joyner Park.
Sunday’s concert is presented by PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, and co-sponsored by the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department. PineCone will provide assisted listening devices at the concert.
In the event of inclement weather, the concert may be relocated to the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. Updated concert information will be available by 3 p.m. on the day of the concert on the Town’s Facebook page and by calling the Wake Forest Weather Line at 919-435-9569. Smart phone users who have downloaded the Town’s app will receive a push notification message informing them of any schedule changes. To download the Wake Forest app, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/app.aspx.
For more information about this year’s Concerts in the Park, visit wakeforestnc.gov and search “Concerts” or visit PineCone’s website at https://pinecone.org/.
For more information about “Wake Forest Unplugged,” visit wakeforestnc.gov and search “Unplugged.”