Tag Archive for: #taskerfleming

The Local Skinny! Merlefest 2026 Coming To Wilkesboro Apr.23-26

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Wilkes Community College is the place to be later this month when the annual Merlefest cranks up for its four-day marathon concert.

Allison Krauss and Union Station are grabbing the spotlight this year as one of the headliners, said Tasker Fleming, whose Front Porch Bluegrass radio show airs Sundays on WIZS.

Fleming said he’s heading up to Wilkes County to catch some of the performances. The hard part is deciding which performances to check out – with half a dozen stages spread out across the campus and a 1,600-seat auditorium, concertgoers have a lot of choices.

North Carolina’s legendary musician Doc Watson started the event in memory of his son, Merle, who died tragically in an accident at the age of 35.

What began in 1988 to raise money to help students afford tuition at the college has grown into one of the biggest gatherings of folk and bluegrass musicians in the country, Fleming said. Known now as “Americana” music, Fleming said Merlefest brings music from all over the country for concertgoers to enjoy.

“It’s a great way to spend a day,” Fleming said. “You can find anything from rockabilly on one stage to traditional sounding bluegrass on another.”

Expect about a three-hour drive to arrive at Merlefest, but according to Fleming, “You’ll enjoy it. I promise you it’s worth the effort.”

Visit www.merlefest.org for ticket information, parking and shuttle instructions and a complete lineup of performances.

April 23-26.

(This text and associated audio are part of an advertising trade with WIZS in exchange for tickets.)

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The Local Skinny! Tasker Fleming on MerleFest 2025

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The campus of Wilkes Community College once again transforms into a sprawling concert venue later this month when MerleFest 2025 cranks up for four days of pure musical fun.

MerleFest 2025 begins Thursday, Apr. 24 and continues through Sunday, Apr. 27.

Tasker Fleming, host of the Front Porch Bluegrass Show that airs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays on WIZS said that folks who attend MerleFest will surely get their money’s worth – different musical groups will take to stages large and small, indoors and out, during the course of each day.

One local group, The Barefoot Movement, is scheduled for four performances on Friday, Apr. 25. They’re just one of the dozens of performers – from Bonnie Raitt and the Avett Brothers to Asleep at the Wheel and Peter Rowan – included in this year’s lineup.

singers, players and pickers

And if the musical variety weren’t enough, there will be vendors galore selling all kinds of items from food to musical instruments for the thousands of attendees expected.

When Fleming attended the music festival a couple of years ago, he said one thing that struck him was the relaxed atmosphere that existed between the musicians and the audience.

“When they get off the stage, they hang around and talk to you,” he said. “You won’t get that at a normal concert.”

Visit https://merlefest.org/ to learn more.

 

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Front Porch Bluegrass Show With Tasker Fleming

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Tune in to Tasker Fleming’s Front Porch Bluegrass Show on Sunday evenings on WIZS and you’ll surely find yourself tapping your toes to some familiar songs, featuring fiddles, mandolins and more.

But tune in to the program on Sunday, May 21 at 6 p.m. and you may hear some familiar – and local – artists as well.

Fleming said he plans to mark the second anniversary of the show being aired on WIZS with some nods to all things Henderson.

“I’m going to dedicate the whole show” to Vance County, whether he’s featuring local bluegrass musician Wayne Kinton or reminiscing about eating in local restaurants as a child traveling through Henderson on his way to visit relatives in Virginia.

The show originates from Albemarle, in Stanly County, and it is aired on numerous stations in North Carolina and Virginia. He’s in talks now with a station in Galax, VA. “I’ll offer my show to anyone who wants to listen,” he said.

Folks who tune in on May 21 may just hear him tell the story about his days as a new UNC graduate who landed his first job at Vance Senior High School. The superintendent at the time was Wayne Adcock. Fleming said he was the only employee in the school system who could “boast” of having been paddled by the superintendent.

He’d deserved that paddling, Fleming confessed, when he had been a second-grader with Adcock as his principal.

Fond memories of Nunnery-Freeman and Hereford House restaurants are sure to bring back memories, Fleming noted. And bringing up good memories is part of what the Front Porch Bluegrass show is all about.

“I love doing the show,” Fleming said. “I’ve always had a passion for bluegrass.”

Tune in on Sunday evenings and contact Fleming at frontporchbluegrass21@yahoo.com.

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