IN THE NEWS

Southern Rail to Headline LRCT Bluegrass Event at Castle
June 24, 2006

Nationally known bluegrass band Southern Rail will headline the Lakes Region Conservation Trust’s second annual Afternoon of Bluegrass at the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, NH, on Saturday, July 22. The event will be held from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. in the meadow below the Castle. Bluegrass bands Amy Gallatin and Stillwaters, the New England Bluegrass Band, and The Goodtime Charlies will also be featured.

Southern Rail’s music is high-energy exuberant fun, with riveting harmonies, irreverent humor and sparkling banjo and mandolin solo work. Their songs have graced Bluegrass Unlimited's Top Thirty Singles Chart for a combined total of 32 months, receiving heavy national airplay.

Southern Rail’s reputation for strong original material, heart-stopping harmonies, and infectious good humor has spread to both coasts, spurred on by a heavy touring schedule and 8 successful recordings which have all received outstanding reviews. Southern Rail’s Bluegrass Gospel compilation entitled Glory Train was nominated for Best Gospel Recording of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association, and Southern Rail has been selected by the New England Foundation for the Arts to be included in their prestigious Touring Roster of performing and literary artists.

Southern Rail’s members include Jim Muller, a talented singer, songwriter & humorist; Sharon Horovitch, acoustic bass player and vocalist whose infectious energy has become one of the group’s trademarks; Bob Sachs, mandolin and fiddle player and vocalist whose playing is clean and lightning-fast; and Rich Stillman, vocalist and winner of multiple banjo championships with extensive performing, recording, and teaching experience.

To purchase tickets for the Afternoon of Bluegrass, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to LRCT, PO Box 1097, Meredith, NH 03253-1097, along with your check: $20 for adults, $5 for children 5-14, under 5 free. For more information, please call Kitty Boyle at 603-279-3246 or e-mail lrct@metrocast.net. Five hundred seats will be available inside the tent on a first come, first served basis. Additional seating will be available outside in the meadow, and food and drinks will be available for purchase. Proceeds of the event will go to support the LRCT’s land protection and stewardship efforts.

The Afternoon of Bluegrass will honor the LRCT’s Land Stewardship Volunteers, who provide valuable service caring for the Trust’s protected properties. Their work includes building and maintaining trails, monitoring conservation easements, developing maps, and otherwise working to ensure that the lands protected through the generosity of thousands of people can be enjoyed by year-round and seasonal residents and visitors to the Lakes Region.

Among the key properties stewarded by these volunteers are the Castle in the Clouds Conservation Area in Moultonborough and Tuftonboro, the Red Hill Conservation Area in Moultonborough, Sewall Woods in Wolfeboro, Stonedam Island and Five Mile Island in Meredith, the Red Hill River and Dinsmore Mountain Conservation Areas in Sandwich, and Knights Pond in Alton.

The Lakes Region Conservation Trust is an independent, non-profit, member-supported organization that protects key wildlife habitat, preserves freshwater and wilderness resources, and provides for public access to conservation lands for thoughtful recreation in the Lakes Region. The LRCT has protected more than 17,000 acres of conservation land in the Region, including more than 19 miles of shore frontage on the region's lakes and ponds.

Using only funds donated by individuals, families, businesses, and other non-governmental sources, the Trust is now the largest conservation landowner in the Lakes Region and the third largest owner of conservation lands in the State of New Hampshire.