ENTERTAINMENT

Burgers, bluegrass and a new concert series in Old Fort

STAFF REPORTS

Jack’s Mountain Preserve & Golf Course in Old Fort is kicking off a series of concerts and events Friday, July 7 with The Big Deal Band. The event is being put on by Larry Deal and Deena Wade, two Black Mountain residents who have purchased the former Old Fort Golf Course and are creating a scenic new venue for music, food, private events, and golf, as well as 40 private home lots with mountain views.

The first of the concerts begins July 7 at 7 p.m. with the free concert. Also available, for $10, will be a menu of grilled grass-fed burgers, farmer fries, home-baked cookies and sweet tea. Children are welcome with supervising parents, but no dogs.

Black Mountain residents Larry Deal and Deena Wade are bringing back the Old Fort Golf Course.

The Big Deal Band of Black Mountain is composed of Deal, his son Grayson Deal, Billy Presnell, and Penn Dameron. The band has invited other local musicians to play during the performance.

Deal and Wade offer golf lessons with golf pro Fred Edwards, as well as weekly yoga classes (there are plans to offer massage therapy). This summer they will also be introducing FootGolf, a popular combination of soccer and golf with holes laid out by the American FootGolf League to be played simultaneously with conventional golf (Deal and Wade also plan to set aside times just for FootGolf players). The course is open to the public.

Designed by golf architect, John R. Van Kleek, the Old Fort Golf Course was built by hand in 1962 by several residents. The nine-hole golf course was once lovingly known as “The Little Augusta” and has been thought of as one of the best and most challenging nine-hole courses in Western North Carolina.

The Big Deal Band of Black Mountain are the first up in the new concert series planned at the Old Fort Golf Course.

Deal and Wade discovered the course, which fell into disrepair over the years, and fell in love with the land and views and decided to re-invest in the property and once again bring something new to Old Fort. The golf course is on a one-way rural road minutes away from Catawba Falls and about 10 miles from Black Mountain.

Newly renovated, The Farm-to-Grill Café there emphasizes local, healthy, farm-raised food and is also open to the public. It does its its best to purchase local food made from scratch or that contains the fewest and purest ingredients they can find. The Farm-to-Grill Café features Dynamite Coffee and serves breakfast starting at 7 a.m. seven days a week, along with lunch and other fare until closing.

The Farm-to-Grill Cafe will also host special Sunday brunches beginning July 16 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Learn more about the cafe, the golf course, the concert series and more at jacksmountainpreserve.com.