Belmont, NC
The Museum of the Moon will be exhibited in downtown Belmont for three weekends serving as the backdrop for a series of lunar-inspired events. Over the centuries, the moon has been used as a timekeeper, calendar, and source of light to aid nighttime navigation. The evenings and weekends will evoke passion and exploration as the ethereal blue light cast by the full moon serves as the perfect environment for art exhibitions, theater performances, and a variety of musical concerts. We hope the exhibit will be an educational experience of a lifetime and inspire the next generation of scientists, artists, poets, writers, and musicians from Gaston County. During Halloween weekend, the mysterious dark side of the moon will surely invite the most ghoulish of them all into downtown for a “spooktacular” good time.
PLAN YOUR BELMONT VISIT
Belmont’s historic and hip downtown invites you to explore the restored turn-of-the-century storefronts that are bursting with vibrant local boutiques, shops, and eateries. Downtown Belmont is a highly walkable culinary hotspot with nearly 20 locally-owned restaurants, cafés, cocktail bars, and craft breweries in less than a single square mile. Visitors and residents will experience the palpable, upbeat energy when visiting this charismatic river city.
Museum of the Moon
An international touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram.
Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.
Over its lifetime, the Museum of the Moon will be presented in a number of different ways both indoors and outdoors, so altering the experience and interpretation of the artwork. As it travels from place to place, it will gather new musical compositions and an ongoing collection of personal responses, stories and mythologies, as well as highlighting the latest moon science.
The installation is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award winning composer Dan Jones. Each venue also programmes their own series lunar inspired events beneath the moon.
Luke Jerram’s multidisciplinary practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live arts projects. Living in the UK but working internationally for 19 years, Jerram has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the globe. Jerram has a set of different narratives that make up his practice which are developing in parallel with one another. He is known worldwide for his large scale public artworks.
PUBLIC ART
October 22 – November 7 The Moonlight on Main event will turn downtown Belmont into a lunar-inspired outdoor art gallery with GOBO artwork projected onto buildings around downtown and feature art installations throughout Stowe Park from local students and other groups. The original GOBO artworks can be found for sale in various downtown galleries and businesses.
BOO FEST
October 23rd – Stowe Park & S Main Street Time: 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm FREE to attend – Tickets for rides can be purchased during the event Join us for a hauntingly fun evening full of music, activity vendors, art & craft vendors, food vendors, costume contests, games, carnival rides, a spooky photo booth, plenty of candy for trick-o-treaters, and more!
CHARLOTTE JAZZ BAND
October 24th – Stowe Park Amphitheater Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm FREE to attend – Donations appreciated The Charlotte Jazz Band is a vibrant, fun-loving, and incredibly talented troupe of professional and amateur musicians that offers engaging performances of big band jazz music, including swing, ragtime, bebop, and other styles. The Charlotte Jazz Band is comprised of approximately twenty members of the Charlotte Concert Band who live to play jazz and are eager to share their passion for music with all audiences. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, relax, and enjoy the show!
NOEL FREIDLINE AND MARIA HOWELL
October 28th – Stowe Park Amphitheater Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Cost: $25 per person You know actress Maria Howell from several Oscar-nominated feature films, The Color Purple, Hidden Figures, and the Academy Award-Winning film, The Blind Side. Join us to watch as she and legendary musician, Noel Freidline, define chemistry. Musically they breathe as one, communicating almost telepathically as they explore and re-interpret some of the best music of the last 80 years. Always approaching the music from “the left,” Noel and Maria have made a name for themselves as they offer listeners something they have heard, but that they have never heard before. Combine this fresh musical approach with a rapport and witty banter that harkens back to the days of the Rat Pack, and you have Noel and Maria in their element: on stage, thrilling an audience at every turn.
THE PINK FLOYD EXPERIENCE WITH CALEB DAVIS & FRIENDS
October 29th – Stowe Park Amphitheater Time: 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm (Two Shows) Cost: $25 per person Hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon was released on March 1, 1973, and subsequently charted for more than 900 weeks, selling an estimated 45 million worldwide. Caleb Davis & Friends perform this groundbreaking album along with Wish You Were Here in its entirety, note-for-note, and cut-for-cut, including megahits “Money,” “Us and Them,” and “The Great Gig in the Sky.” You will not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime performance under the Museum of the Moon exhibit accompanied by laser lights and video screen displays. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, relax, and enjoy the show!
HALLOWEEN BAR CRAWL
October 30th – Downtown Belmont Time: 4:00 pm – Until
ALEX FRANCISCO CARUTHERS BAND
October 30th – Stowe Park Amphitheater Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm FREE to attend – Donations appreciated This soul artist from The Colony, Texas began playing guitar in the summer of 2011 and has no intention of stopping. He is greatly influenced by artists like Josh Weathers, Johnny Cooper, and Thin Lizzy. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy some music under the moon.
HOWL AT THE MOON DOG-FRIENDLY EVENT
October 31st – Stowe Park Time: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm FREE to attend – Donations appreciated Belmont Main Street invites you to bring your pups to Stowe Park for a howl at the moon. The moon will be a wonderful backdrop for your family and your pup to snag a photo with the Museum of the Moon exhibit.
VILLAINS CABARET
October 31st – Stowe Park Amphitheater Time: 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm, & 8:00 pm (30 minutes each) FREE to attend – Donations appreciated The characters you love to hate invite you to an evening of song at the Moon. Black Star Theater Company brings to life the Villains of literature, folklore, and Disney while singing unexpected songs to thrill your soul.
NEW MOON DRUM CIRCLE BY DRUMS 4 LIFE
November 4th – Stowe Park Amphitheater Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm FREE to attend – Donations appreciated Drum therapy is an ancient approach that uses rhythm to promote healing and self-expression. From the shamans of Mongolia to the Minianka healers of West Africa, therapeutic rhythm techniques have been used for thousands of years to create and maintain physical, mental, and spiritual health. Join us under the Museum of the Moon for a New Moon Drum Circle by Drums 4 Life sponsored by Elements of Empowerment. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, relax, and enjoy the beats!
MUSIC OF THE NIGHT BROADWAY REVUE BY BLACK STAR THEATER COMPANY
November 5th, 6th, & 7th – Stowe Park Amphitheater Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm FREE to attend – Donations appreciated Black Star Theater Company will perform a variety of songs from classic and contemporary Broadway Musicals. Join us under the stars as we bring Broadway to Belmont with our production of Music of the Night.
MOON EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
November 7th – Stowe Park Amphitheater Time: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm FREE to attend – Donations appreciated Come learn about the nature and science of the moon from Gaston County’s Schiele Museum planetarium staff. Hands-on activities will accompany the lecture making this a fun educational experience for kids of all ages.