Band of Heathens headlines 4th annual Due South

THOMASVILLE — Music and arts fans will get to enjoy a bit of both next weekend as the Thomasville Center for the Arts presents its 4th annual Due South event.

This year’s Due South, set for April 25, will feature headliners Band of Heathens from Austin, Texas, as well as Athens’ Grassland String Band, Albany’s Evan Barber and the Dead Gamblers, St. Augustine’s The Gatorbone Band, Grant Peeples and the Peeples Republik of Sopchoppy, Fla., The Fried Turkeys of Tallahassee, Fla., and Royce Lovett, also from Tallahassee.

According to David Middleton, one of the event organizers, the main focus of Due South is to bring “a variety of top-notch” musical talent through Thomasville that might not otherwise come to town.

In addition to the full day of music, the event will also feature an open house for the center’s newest artists in residence. Attendees can meet the artists and peruse their work. This year’s new artists in residence include Abby Barber, a chef and gardener; Caprice Kelly, a ceramicist and photographer; Jay Snodgrass, a printmaker and poet, and Denise Boineau, Emily Arwood and Robert Copper, who are all painters.

Organizers of Due South say they are proud of the fact that the event is very family-friendly and indicative of some of the things that are special about living in the South.

“Land, family and tradition are what make the South great, and Due South combines the very best of these three things,” said Due South co-chair Halie McCollum. “We love that people come out, bring a chair, grab a beer and kick back — all for a good cause.”

That good cause is arts center programming so that the organization can offer more creative content, such as visual, performing, literary and applied arts, in the future.

Due South will be held at the center’s newly renovated Studio 209 at 209 West Remington Ave. in downtown Thomasville.

General admission tickets to Due South are $10, and VIP tickets start at $150. Advance tickets can be purchased online at thomasvillearts.org or by calling (229) 226-0588. The event is rain or shine, and gates open at 11:30 a.m. The Due South VIP party will begin at 6:30 p.m.