Saturday evening, about the time that last band was performing at the day-long Haw River Festival and the farmers were starting to think about packing up their wares for the day, musicians started arriving at the soon to open Haw River Ballroom.

Tonight is the Hard Hat Gala, a sort of pre-opening preview of the newest local entertainment and event space. The Haw River Ballroom is the latest venture from the group of folks and friends who brought you Saturday In Saxapahaw, Saxapahaw General Store and The Eddy.

In honor of the Haw River Festival and the beautiful river you can see through the ballrooms windows, local singers and musicians came together for a one-night-only “Supergoup” performance to benefit the Haw River Assembly.

As the sun set over Saxapahaw, members of “the village” and beyond started to arrive. One of the magical things about the community culture in Saxapahaw is the bring your kids, bring your grandma type of atmosphere. They are generationally friendly.

I love this moment that Nate captured: Heather LaGarde taking an iphone shot of Tom Maxwell, Kim Arrington, Cameron Ratliff, Steph Stewart, Mark Simonsen, Matt McMichaels, and Laurelyn Dossett on stage.

Many of you may know Heather simply as “The Swan Lady”. The swan has become somewhat iconic of Saxapahaw events, passed around to collect donations or tips for whatever band is playing.

(Tom Maxwell, Mark Simonsen, Kim Arrington, Laurelyn Dossett, Steph Stewart, Jeff Crawford – Hard Hat Gala – Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw, NC)

(Scott McCall & Mark O’Brien of Two Dollar Pistols)