Last week Surry Arts Council announced that they would be distributing over $30,000 in grant funding to ten organizations across Surry County based on recommendations from a local steering committee to select which groups would be among the recipients. on a grant from the Galway Grassroots Arts Programme. North Carolina.
Among the funding recipients was Pilot Mountain Development Corporation, which will be receiving $8,000 to help with upgrades and renovations to the mobile platform used for many concerts and events held in downtown Pilot Mountain.
To leverage those grant funds, the Town of Pilot Mountain has said it’s going to chip in another $8,000 to match the arts council grant for a total renovation of $16,000, said Jenny Kindy, Pilot Mountain’s Main Street coordinator.
The mobile stage is in need of refurbishment and there will be a wide range of improvements to the flooring, silhouette and interior and exterior of the stage. Upgrades will be made to improve the sound and lighting capabilities of the stage to enhance the audience experience for the various events that the mobile stage may encounter.
Kindy said the office is looking at quotes for repairing the mobile stage with the goal of having the work done around Easter. “The first event to use it is the Pilot Mountain Adventure Adventure & Expo on April 21 to 23, so it gives us about twelve weeks from start to finish to do it.”
She is excited about the event but couldn’t say more. “We will have a lot of information to share about that event soon. Due to the status of the artist we have booked, we need to get prior approval before we can say more.”
Eager to increase the recreation and tourism profile of Downtown Pilot Mountain and add more events, an enhanced mobile stage will be a great resource for those involved in its planning and execution.
Officials from the Pilot Mountain Development Corporation said they look forward to applying the grant funding to improve the mobile stage, which they see as a vital community asset for its various uses throughout the year.
The mobile stage has been used for many years to host concerts in downtown Pilot Mountain. Events using the mobile stage have included the Hot Nights Hot Cars Cruise Ins, Mayfest, The Pilot Art Walk, and one of the best named events in the Yadkin Valley: the Pilot Mountain Pig Out Food Truck Rodeo. Sometimes a name really says it all.
Other groups that received funding included the Surry County Historical Society, the African-American History and Genealogy Society, the Mount Airy Public Library, the Mount Airy Photo Club, and the Reeves Community Center Foundation.
