RALEIGH — Bring lunch to the State Capitol grounds Friday, July 24, for a free concert to celebrate the reopening of the south plaza and south walkways of Capitol Square.
Featuring the Southern String Band, this concert will last from noon-1 p.m. and kicks off the Capitol Concert Series, a festive series of free lunchtime performances on the grounds. Although dates are not yet fixed, subsequent concerts will feature various musical genres including both bluegrass and big band.
“The Square has been a beautiful gathering spot for 169 years, and we are glad to continue this tradition with these concerts,” states Capitol Site Administrator Deanna Mitchell. “And in this economy, it’s nice to have some free entertainment on a summer afternoon.”
Participating musicians will be donating their time to the series, just for the fun of playing on Capitol Square.
The Southern String Band (based in Raleigh) is a group of nine friends who play mostly traditional tunes and songs from the Upper South. Its members pick, strum and pluck the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, tenor guitar and bass.
The Capitol’s walkway rehab project, which was conducted by the Office of State Construction, replaced broken 1930s-vintage walkways with new concrete. It also improved the Capitol’s accessibility by installing additional sloped wheelchair ramps.
A National Historic Landmark, the N.C. State Capitol is one of the finest and best-preserved examples of the Greek Revival style of architecture in the United States. It features a domed rotunda and state senate and house chambers, meticulously restored to their 1840 appearance. Until 1888 its granite walls housed all of state government, and the Legislature met here until 1961. Today the governor and her staff still occupy offices in the Capitol.
The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the architecture, history and functions of the 1840 Capitol building and Union Square where it is located. In downtown Raleigh, the Capitol is bounded by Edenton, Salisbury, Morgan and Wilmington streets. Free parking is available in state lots near the Capitol.
For more information on the State Capitol call (919) 733-4994 or go to http://www.nchistoricsites.org/capitol.
Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, the State Capitol is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2009 theme observance of “Treasure N.C. Culture.” For more information, visit www.ncculture.com.