taylorsville

The Hiddenite Center invites the community to join in a celebration of the �Scots-Irish� roots in our region with the Annual Burns Night Feaste. This memorable evening of Scottish heritage festivities will be held at the Hiddenite Center's Educational Complex (70 Hiddenite Church Road in Alexander County) on Friday, January 23, 2015 and will begin at 7:00pm.

The cost of admission is $16 per person. This all inclusive admission price includes the musical performance, Scottish feaste, and tax. Reservations for this grand evening are required and may be made by calling The Hiddenite Center�s Lucas Mansion at 828-632-6966.

Born in January of 1759, Robert Burns was one of the most celebrated poets of all time. Burns, a poet and lyricist, is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and was a pioneer of the Romantic Movement. Many of his poems and songs such as the classic �Auld Lang Syne,� are still performed today. The Hiddenite Center�s Burns Night festivities will feature many of Robert Burns� works of poetry, which have been set to song.

During The Hiddenite Center�s Burns Night dinner theater, the feaste itself is part of the performance and the grandeur of the evening. After a Scottish welcome, guests will feaste on a traditional Scottish meal, which is served family style and includes traditional chicken and leek soup, steak pie, peas and carrots, shredded cabbage salad, potatoes, bread and a traditional Scottish dessert known as �Tipsy Laird.�


�Burns Night is a special kick off to a brand new year of performing arts events at The Hiddenite Center,� says Executive Director, Pete Woods. �Our annual Burns Night Feaste offers a one-of-a-kind, interactive and exuberant program of entertainment that is steeped in tradition and seasoned with merriment. We invite everyone to join us for a rousing celebration of cultural heritage.�


A glass of wassail, a punch made with apple juice and spices, will be raised in a toast to the President, the Queen, the Lads and the Lassies. The entrance of the Haggis, graces, and a closing toast to the immortal memory of Robert Burns, are among other festivities of the evening. Guests are encouraged to wear their tartans and plaids to add to the experience.

Throughout the evening, guests will be entertained with a unique blend of traditional Celtic music from "The Mountain Laurels� of Boone, North Carolina. Described as a �band of women on winds and strings,� these renowned musicians skillfully blend the traditions of Celtic music with the musical traditions of Western North Carolina. The Mountain Laurels combine violin, hammer dulcimer, flute and guitar to produce their signature Celtic sound. For special selections, including the piping in of the Haggis, esteemed bagpiper, Flynn Lancaster of Hickory, will join The Mountain Laurels in their performance.

Hiddenite Center events, exhibits, and programs are made possible in part through the generous funding of Alexander County government, the Eileen and R. Y. Sharpe Family Foundation, The Winston Salem Foundation, the Friends of the Hiddenite Center membership program, and by the Grassroots Grant of the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. The Hiddenite Center�s Lucas Mansion and Educational Complex are wheelchair accessible.