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SALUDA—The Top of the Grade concert series concludes the 2023 season on Friday, August 18 with the Trophy Husbands. The performance will be on the Ella Grace Mintz Stage at McCreery Park in downtown Saluda from 7 to 9 p.m. 

The Trophy Husbands is a local band that originated in Polk County almost 25 years ago, started by a group of (mostly) regional artists who also had an affinity for playing music as their second vocation. Coincidently, all of the members from the original lineup came from large families, which they attribute to the band’s longevity and their ability to get along.  

With Doug Dacey on guitar/vocals, Andy Costine on guitar/vocals, mandolin and mandola, Rich Nelson on guitar/vocals, Stan Halbkat on bass/vocals and Jay Wetmore on drums/vocals, the Trophy Husbands collectively deliver a healthy palette of Americana music along with other popular musical styles of the 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. There have been some personnel changes through the years, but the solid foundation of brotherly love remains strong.

 Organizers ask that attendees bring a lawn chair to the concert. Wine and beer are allowed at the concert but are limited to the seating area. No alcohol is allowed on the playground or in the parking lot. In the case of rain, the concert will be held in the McCreery Park pavilion.

Top of the Grade concerts are free thanks to the concerts’ platinum sponsors: Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks Realty, Autumn Care of Saluda, Fishtop Cabin, Heartwood Gallery, Pam and Clark Thompson, and RiverStreet Networks; gold sponsors: Don Mintz Builders, Green River Construction, The Orchard Inn and Newman’s Restaurant, The Purple Onion, and www.VisitSaludaNC.com; and silver sponsors: Green River Adventures, Hall House Vacation Rental, and Looking Glass Realty.

The Top of the Grade Concert series is overseen by the Saluda Downtown Foundation, Inc. with support from the City of Saluda. The Saluda Downtown Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the arts, beautification, historic preservation, cultural development and exchange, and economic development in downtown Saluda.

 

Submitted by Lynn Casey