What’s next for Nina Simone’s Tryon home?
A day of music and remembrance to celebrate the life and legacy of the legendary Nina Simone is planned for Tuesday in Tryon, N.C.
Presented by The Nina Simone Project, the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, University of North Carolina-Asheville, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the National Trust’s African American Heritage Action Fund, “Celebrating Nina Simone” is a chance to learn more about Simone’s childhood, music and lasting influence.
”Nina Simone’s legacy burns bright today — her songs carrying messages of racial and gender inequality are igniting a new generation of artists, musicians and activists, and she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this spring — yet her childhood home in Tryon, N.C., has not fared so well,” said Erica Stewart, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based National Trust for Historic Preservation. “We know we need to do more to honor her roots and support her legacy, and to uplift the story of African-American activism and achievement in this country. This day a reflection of that commitment.”
The daytime portion of the event includes free, 45-minute public tours of Simone’s childhood home and tribute performances by Lydia Salett Dudley, Lenora Helm, Yolanda Rabun and Mary D. Williams, from 1:30-3 p.m. at St. Luke’s Plaza in downtown Tryon. Tours of the home will take place from 1-4 p.m. and must be registered for in advance on the event website. Shuttles will be provided at St. Luke’s Plaza, 64 N. Trade St., to take visitors to the house.
Evening festivities include a brief program starting at 6:30 p.m. at Tryon’s Rogers Park, where the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Nina Simone Project, and the owners of Simone’s childhood home – Adam Pendleton, Rashid Johnson, Ellen Gallagher and Julie Mehretu – will tell the story of their partnership and announce the next steps in preserving Simone’s legacy.
(BlueRidgeNow.com, 6/16/18)