9:24 am ‘Liberty!’ begins final weekend of performances on Thursday
“Liberty! The Saga of Sycamore Shoals” enters its final week of performances on Thursday for the 2012 season. Thusfar, it has been a good season said Jennifer Bauer, director of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park.
Photo by Sarah East
From left: Ten-year-old Lindsey King, from Unicoi, six-year-old Reiley Whitson from Elizabethton and nine-year-old Samantha Bowman from Johnson City are among the younger actors in the outdoor drama, “Liberty!”
“Watching the cast of Liberty! share the stories of Sycamore Shoals is humbling, exciting, and above all inspirational. I never tire of it,” said Bauer.
Photo by Sarah East
From left: Lynn and Leslie Treadway have been a part of the “Liberty!” cast for the past five years. They start practicing three to four hours per day on Tuesday and Thursdays this past February.
Comprised of over 100 volunteers, each January they come together to begin auditions and rehearsals for the July drama.
Photo by Sarah East
From left: Nick Hughes and Jeremy Cochran, both from Elizabethton, are having fun as cast members in the outdoor drama, “Liberty!”
“Giving an enormous amount of time and energy, they ask nothing in return – just the opportunity to be a part of ensuring that historic events of national significance are always remembered,” Bauer shared. “Within their hearts you will find a passion and strong desire to honor our ancestors – patriots in the truest sense of the word.”
The cast shares the story of not only the Watauga Settlement, but that of Tennessee and a young America. It is the story of long hunters and their families leaving the comforts of home in the 13 colonies to begin a new life, free of the rule of the British king. They crossed over the mountains beyond the Proclamation Line of 1763 discovering land that was cleared, yet uninhabited.
The “Old Fields” of the Watauga quickly became the heart of frontier settlements on land belonging to the Cherokee. Set in the 1770s, the long-running outdoor drama relates the good times and the sad times; the struggles and the sacrifices of families who were willing to take incredible risks to create a democratic society against a multitude of obstacles.
“Liberty!” opens its third and final week of performances on Thursday, July 26, and continues through Saturday, July 28. This, the 34th year of the drama, introduces new vignettes and a new musical score, composed and arranged by C. Keith Young and Marshall Andrew Young.
Set beside the Watauga River, the story unfolds with Fort Watauga as the backdrop. The outdoor amphitheater provides bench seating with backs and an opportunity to sample great food within a short distance from your seat, at Carter’s Store. Turkey legs, pulled pork barbecue, soup beans and cornbread, and corn on the cob are just a few of the menu items. On Saturday night, a dinner theater is offered by reservation.
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Tickets are $12 for adults; $10 for seniors; $9 for students; and children five and under are admitted free. For more information, call 543-5808 or visit www.liberty-drama.com.
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