About Fly Around

Fly Around took flight in the aftermath of the flooding from Hurricane Helene in 2024, inspired by the resilient community effort that sprang up around Lost Province Arts and the old Lansing School. Founded by  Chris Jude, a recent Ashe County resident with a background in DIY community events and concerts he recruited Emily Farley, another Ashe county transplant with experience in promoting music festivals in Atlanta to run our social media and marketing. Trevor McKenzie, director of the ASU Appalachian Studies program as well as the one man Wrecking Crew at Buddy Holler Studio, functions as the ad hoc festival historian, keeps us straight on the story.  Buddy Holler Studio provides technical and backline support, and Fly Around collaborates with Lost Province Arts on the event planning and execution. With support from our sponsors and many others in the town of Lansing, the festival is a grassroots, community effort dedicated to supporting the Lansing community. Fly Around encourages responsible Appalachian tourism and the celebration of deep cultural and artistic heritage of this region. We support fair pay for artists and the preservation of cultural and historic landmarks like the old Lansing School.