Festival adjusts to unexpected cancellation

Many Cherokee County residents took to the dance floor at Saturday's Peach Beach concert to shag and do the Cupid Shuffle, one of the newest line dances on the Carolina beach music scene. Officials estimated 600 people attended the Peach Beach event on the opening weekend of the South Carolina Peach Festival. Life often forces people to make the best of unexpected surprises.

This was the case when The Catalinas lead singer Dale McCaskill's mother passed away Friday. The Catalinas promptly cancelled their plans to perform at Saturday's Peach Beach concert for the South Carolina Peach Festival.

Festival productions chairman Dennis Fowler lined up Jump Street as a replacement band on less than 24 hours notice. Fowler was notified by The Catalinas about the band's cancellation Friday at 3 p.m.

"This was the first time in 21 years of doing beach music concerts that The Catalinas have cancelled a show," Fowler said. "Their lead singer Dale McCaskill is exactly where he needs to be right now. Our sympathy and prayers go out to Dale and his family over their loss."

Fowler introduced Jump Street as the surprise entertainment shortly before the band took the stage at 8 p.m. for the Peach Beach concert in the Broad River Electric Auditorium. Jump Street previously performed at the festival's Peach Beach in 2002 and 2006.

More than 600 people spent the evening shagging to classic beach music songs and enjoying food and drinks at the event.

Jump Street band members traveled from their homes in Spartanburg and Raleigh to perform several hours of music for the festival's signature concert event. The band entertained the crowd with performances of classic funk and beach music songs like "I Love Music" by The Embers and "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry.

The Peach Beach concert capped a fun-filled weekend for the South Carolina Peach Festival.

Several hundred people spent Friday evening enjoying a street dance and "Movies in the Park" outside Iron City Place in Blacksburg. The animated movie "Madagascar 2: Escape from Africa" was shown on an outdoor projection screen.

A lack of entries forced the festival to cancel Saturday's basketball tournament events at Blacksburg Middle and Blacksburg High. However, festival officials were greeted by long lines of runners Saturday at 7 a.m. interested in signing up for the annual road race at Limestone College.

"We had a record 334 runners participate in the road race this year," festival board chairman Carlton Bridges said. "We had a great weekend at the Peach Festival. We were really pleased with the response we received to the street dance and Movies in the Park in Blacksburg. This is an event we will definitely look at doing again next year."