This Saturday is the third annual Natty Greene’s Brewing Co.’s Earth Day Jam at Saving Grace Farm.
Earth Day Jam is a music and arts festival that raises funds for The LandTrust for Central North Carolina and also Saving Grace, a therapeutic horsemanship facility.
Earth Day Jam began as a seed in the mind of local musician Ashley Honbarrier, and equine therapist Stacey Carter. It has continued to grow in to a regional community event. The Earth Day Jam mission is to create a space for collaboration, fun, and impact that brings awareness to the health of the environment, recognizing local farmers and protecting natural resources for future generations.
The LandTrust is a nonprofit organization that conserves natural resources across our ten county region. The venue, Saving Grace Farm, provides services to people in our community with special needs, autism and mental illness. They offer support for veterans struggling with PTSD and experiential opportunities for leadership development.
Other collaborators on the Earth Day Jam team include The Bread Riot and Wild Turkey Farm on local farming, O2 Energies on alternative energy, Dan Nicholas Park on wildlife and animal conservancy, Renn Bee Farm on the importance of bee keeping, We Are All Farmers Permaculture Institute, Rowan and Davidson County Recycling Centers, and many more.
Also present will be artists and vendors showcasing their artwork from jewelry to paintings, even such crafts as handmade instruments from Dunn’s Mountain Musicals.
While Earth Day Jam offers many valuable educational opportunities, mostly it is a celebration. There will be sixteen bands on two stages alternating music throughout the day and night.
The lineup includes headliners The New Familiars and Big Daddy Love, as well as performances by The Deluge, Treehouse!, Sun Dried Vibes, Abe Reid & The Spikedrivers, Steph Stewart & The Boyfriends, Analog Daze, No.9 Coal, Sy Arden Band, Yadkin River Theory, Jeremy & Jessica Vess, and Dionne Hodges Murphy Trio
Rebekah Todd and The Odyssey from Greenville, N.C., will perform a double concert beginning at Uncle Buck’s All American Pub & Grub on Friday, in addition to their slot on the Earth Day Jam bill.
The most anticipated performance comes from Salisbury’s own Big Break. Earth Day Jam co-founder Ashley Honbarrier is a member of Big Break, and the band is veteran to the fest. Big Break front man David Myers was involved in a serious motorcycle accident on March 11, leaving him paralyzed, with a severed spinal cord, other fractures, and a broken arm. He has recently been discharged from rehab.
The band plans to have guest guitarists join them for a set at the concert. The community has rallied around Myers and family, and Earth Day Jam will be his first Salisbury appearance since the accident, and the only forseeable Big Break show for this year.
Saving Grace Farm is located at 565 Trexler Loop.
For more information on Earth Day Jam visit www.earthdayjamnc.com
Cover photos of Earth Jam are by Sean Meyers.