Roy Book Binder will cap off the third annual installment of “Wake Forest Unplugged…Get Connected” on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 7, with a free concert at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. The concert will take place in the amphitheater from 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
For nearly 40 years, Roy Book Binder has traveled the world as a "keeper of the flame" and ambassador of the blues. Back in the early 1960s, Book Binder learned his craft from the legendary blind street singer Reverend Gary Davis. After two years of traveling the folk-blues circuit with his mentor, Book Binder struck out on his own. Along the way, he befriended Pink Anderson, an old Carolina medicine show performer (who, incidentally, was the source for "Pink" in Pink Floyd). Book Binder left Greenwich Village in 1976, moved into a tour bus and lived on the road for the next 15 years.
Book Binder has toured with Bonnie Raitt, Hot Tuna, and J.J. Cale. He has also shared the stage with many great bluesmen, including BB King, John Jackson, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee. He has played at many festivals around the country, including The New Orleans JazzFest, the Chicago Blues Festival, The National Story Telling Festival and MerleFest, where he has hosted the acoustic blues stage for almost two decades. A few years ago, the PBS Emmy Award-winning series “Arts Across America” joined him on the road, documenting his colorful career in a segment entitled "Keeping Traditions Alive."
Area residents are encouraged to bring a picnic and a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy the music. Concert-goers are reminded that alcoholic beverages, smoking, firearms, and unleashed pets are prohibited at Joyner Park.
Prior to the Oct. 7 concert the Wake Forest Recreation Advisory Board will offer area residents the opportunity to participate in a slew of organized games and activities as part of “Wake Forest Unplugged…Get Connected.” This free, family-friendly event offers Wake Forest-area residents a unique opportunity to "disconnect" from their cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices and "reconnect" with their community, friends, and family by engaging in healthier, more active pursuits.
Games will include sack and relay races, corn hole, and miniature golf. The festivities are scheduled to get underway at 1:30 p.m. in the vicinity of the Walker Garden.
In the event of rain, the concert will be moved inside the Flaherty Community Center Gymnasium, 1226 N. White St. Weather-related updates will be available by calling the Wake Forest Weather Line at 919-435-9569. Smart phone users who have downloaded the Town of Wake Forest app will receive a push notification message informing them of any schedule change. To download the Wake Forest app, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/app.aspx.
Roy Book Binder’s performance is offered by PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, and is co-sponsored by the Wake Forest Parks & Recreation Department, the United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, and Wake Forest ARTS. For more information, contact PineCone at (919) 664-8333 or visit www.pinecone.org.
For more information about “Wake Forest Unplugged…Get Connected,” contact Parks and Recreation Director Ruben Wall at 919-435-9561 or rwall@wakeforestnc.gov or visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/unplugged.aspx.