Cove Ridge Foundation & Advisory Board

08/22/2024

Join us on Sunday, September 1st for the 21st Annual Papa Joe Smiddy Mountain Music Festival will honor the memory and legacy of Dr. Joseph “Papa Joe” Smiddy. The event is presented by the Cove Ridge Center Foundation. It will be held in the amphitheater at Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield, VA starting at 5 PM.

There will be no admission charge to this year’s festival thanks to the generosity of our sponsors. Attendees may give a donation to the Cove Ridge Foundation to support its Scholarship Fund.

While there is fixed seating under roof, additional seating is available and used on the grass behind the fixed seating, so festivalgoers are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket. A shuttle will be available for festivalgoers with mobility issues, it will take them to the backstage level and bring them back up to the parking lot when they are ready to go home.

An on-site concessions stand will be available to provide food and refreshments. In addition, food vendors, Backdraft BBQ, Flour to Flower Pastries and Sweets, and the Blue Line Ice Cream Truck will be at the amphitheater that evening.

The Cove Ridge Foundation is grateful to its generous sponsors, UVA at Wise, American Electric Power, Axe Handle Distilling, Eastman Credit Union, Food City, Holston Medical Group, Powell Valley Bank and Wise Kiwanis whose generous contributions have offset the cost of putting on the festival. The Foundation is also thankful to ProArt for providing their expertise in operating the sound system for the festival.

In 2024, festival admission is free of charge, there is a $5 per vehicle parking fee. Festivalgoers are welcome to donate to the Cove Ridge Foundation, but no payment will be expected. For additional information on the event, you may call the Cove Ridge Center at (276) 940-2674 or by visiting the Center’s webpage at www.coveridge.com

Proceeds from the festival go into the Cove Ridge Foundation’s Papa Joe Smiddy Scholarship Fund. The Papa Joe Smiddy Mountain Music Festival is an affiliated site on the Crooked Road.

07/19/2024

Join us this Sunday, July 21st from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Natural Tunnel State Park Amphitheater for Outdoor Theater and Music featuring Lamplight Theatre and music performers Jim Ann Country. $5 Parking, Free Admission. For questions please call the Cove Ridge Center at 276-940-2696.

08/31/2023

Celebrate and join in on the fun for the 20th Annual Papa Joe Smiddy Mountain Music Festival this Labor Day Weekend on Sunday, September 3rd from 5pm to 8pm at the Natural Tunnel State Park Amphitheater.

This event is presented by the Cove Ridge Foundation and HMG in collaboration with Natural Tunnel State Park.

Concessions and vendors will be available onsite, admission is free but a $5 parking fee still applies.

For questions please call the Cove Ridge Center at 276-940-2696.

08/15/2023

Join us for the 20th Annual Papa Joe Smiddy Mountain Music Festival on Sunday, September 3rd from 5pm to 8pm at the Natural Tunnel State Park. This event is presented by the Cove Ridge Foundation and HMG in collaboration with Natural Tunnel State Park. Concessions and vendors will be available onsite, admission is free but a $5 parking fee still applies.

For questions please call the Cove Ridge Center at 276-940-2696.

The Cove Ridge Foundation and Advisory Board is a non-profit organization that functions as a friends group to Natural Tunnel State Park.

08/03/2023

The summer’s second music and drama night at Natural Tunnel State Park Amphitheater will emphasize music, with The Trail of the Lonesome Pine’s performance highlighting songs from this summer’s 60th season production.

The music and drama night will be held at the amphitheater starting at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 6. Also scheduled to perform are the Country Cabin II Line Dancers and Jim-Anne Country, the husband-and-wife duo of Jim and Anne Gates.

Over the course of its 60 years, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine has been known for its old-time music as well as for the story of the beginnings of the coal boom in 1890s Big Stone Gap.

Director Trey Stidham, a Trail acting veteran himself and now in his first season as artistic director, has said he wants to feature the music from the show at this year’s Natural Tunnel performance.

The cast includes several stellar singers, such as Hadassah White in the lead role of June Tolliver, Evan O’Quinn or understudy Ryan Blevins as male lead Jack Hale, and Larry “Dodie” Daniel as Devil Judd, the head of the Tolliver clan. The tight-knit sounds of the house band – Joey O’Quinn, Larry Mullins, Dawn Bays, Roger Bays, Danny White and Les Bailey – support the singers on such favorites as “Deep Settled Peace,” “Wayfaring Stranger,” “Barbry Allen,” and the rollicking “Sourwood Mountain,” one of the highlights of the Homecoming scene.

The Country Cabin Line Dancers strut across the stage, executing a precision dance routine to fan-favorite country tunes. Jim and Anne Gates open with a set of traditional country songs, lovingly presented on fiddle and guitar, with Jim Gates providing the vocals and stories behind the songs.

Admission to the park’s music and drama nights is free. The park’s $5 parking fee does apply.

07/25/2023

Join us at the Natural Tunnel State Park amphitheater this Sunday, July 30th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for Pickin' in the Park: Music in the Mountains.

Open mic performances are encouraged between 2 and 3 p.m. so bring an instrument and join in on the fun!

From 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Holston River Boys will perform. Holston River Boys are a bluegrass gospel group from Abingdon, Virginia featuring Ken Taylor, Aaron Taylor, Neal Reynolds, Stafford Statzer, Wayne Dye, and Austin Greer. Their stated desire is to be a blessing to everyone they meet and we look forward to hosting them!

Parking is $5 per vehicle, admission is free, and concessions will be available.

For questions please contact the Cove Ridge Center at 276-940-2696.

07/06/2023

LampLight Theatre presents its annual Patriotic Tribute at the Natural Tunnel State Park amphitheater on Sunday, July 16.

Natural Tunnel’s first Outdoor Theater and Music program of 2023 starts at 6 p.m. with the music of Jim-Ann Country.

LampLight will follow with “Raise the Torch” resonating with the message of freedom and featuring music classics, dance, and comedy. This is the 18th annual Americana show that LampLight has produced. These patriotic extravaganzas have become a favorite for patrons and performers alike.

“The greatest joy in performing in our patriotic show is the unity we share in our freedom, liberty and faith,” producer/director Billy Wayne said. “Raise the Torch is a salute to those who have served or are currently serving our country. Their firm stand and sacrifice have provided for our freedoms.”

“Raise the Torch” pays tribute to our country and recognizes the battles that made America what it is today. The show begins with the Revolutionary War, evoked with fun songs like “Yankee Doodle,” and moves through modern days with the poignant “Soldier’s Light.”

LampLight also honors the different branches of the military and pays respect to our nation’s military heroes by proudly singing the anthem of each branch. This year’s Patriotic Tribute also includes a moving tribute to Charles Stanley and all that he did to spread the Gospel throughout our great nation.

Incredible solo vocalists, ensembles and a chorus of more than 50 members will lift their voices in celebration of American freedom. Billy Wayne and a multi-talented cast of singers, musicians, comedians and dancers help celebrate our nation’s heritage.

Jim and Ann Gates open the program at 6 p.m. with a set of classic country songs featuring Jim’s guitar and Ann’s fiddle. Outdoor Theater and Music programs are free-admission events, but Natural Tunnel State Park’s $5 parking fee applies.

06/24/2023

Join us at the Natural Tunnel State Park amphitheater tomorrow from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for Pickin' in the Park: Music in the Mountains.

Open mic performances are encouraged between 2 and 3 p.m. so bring an instrument and join in on the fun!

From 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. contemporary bluegrass group Ten Penny Drive will perform. Composed of Walters State Community College alumni this performing group never fails to deliver well crafted songwriting and tasteful cover songs with creative vocal arrangements.

Parking is $5 per vehicle, admission is free, and concessions will be available.

For questions please contact the Cove Ridge Center at 276-940-2696.

06/15/2023

Join us at the Natural Tunnel State Park amphitheater next Sunday, June 25 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for Pickin' in the Park: Music in the Mountains.

Open mic performances are encouraged between 2 and 3 p.m. so bring an instrument and join in on the fun!

From 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. contemporary bluegrass group Ten Penny Drive will perform. Composed of Walters State Community College alumni this performing group never fails to deliver well crafted songwriting and tasteful cover songs with creative vocal arrangements.

Parking is $5 per vehicle, admission is free, and concessions will be available.

For questions please contact the Cove Ridge Center at 276-940-2696.

05/28/2023

Due to the predicted forecast of rain throughout today, Pickin' in the Park: Music in the Mountains has been cancelled for today.

We look forward to seeing you at our future Pickin' in the Park summer programs. Follow our page for more information and updates about summer programming at the Natural Tunnel State Park Amphitheater.

05/24/2023

Join us this Sunday from 2-4 p.m. for Pickin' in the Park: Music in the Mountains.

This Sunday's performing group will be Zach Wiles and the Mill Hollow Ramblers. There will be open mic performances between 2 and 3 p.m. so bring an instrument and join in on the fun!

Parking is $5 per vehicle, admission is free, and concessions will be available.

04/10/2023

An informational meeting will be held for the newly formed Friends of Natural Tunnel State Park group this Thursday, April 13th at 5:30pm. This will be followed by a regular meeting of the Cove Ridge Foundation at 6:00pm.

These meetings will be held in the Cove Ridge Center at Natural Tunnel State Park. These groups are currently seeking volunteers interested in event and educational program planning, hands-on park projects, fundraising, marketing, and more.

Food and refreshments will be provided. If you have questions please contact the Cove Ridge Center at 276-940-2696 or reach out to Austin Penley at [email protected]

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