Balsam Range kicks off the 250th celebration at Lake Junaluska, NC – photo © Jeff Lahr
As celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the USA began in earnest for the July 4 weekend earlier this month, Balsam Range was in the thick of it. They kicked off a week of patriotic fervor at the Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center in western North Carolina.
Photographer Jeff Lahr was there and captured a number of images of the guys performing there on July 2, which Balsam Range bassist and founding member Tim Surrett says they’ve done annually this past ten years or so.
“The Center is the headquarters of the World Methodist Council, sort of their mothership, if you will, and where we hold our Art of Music festival in December each year. It’s a beautiful place and the people are great.
They host a week-long series of 4th of July events, which culminates in a big fireworks show. It’s always a big time.
And the best thing for me is it’s only 15 minutes from my house!”
That’s not something touring musicians can say very often.
