Mountain Empire Community College, in partnership with VFP of Duffield and the Town of Big Stone Gap, will host a free 50th Anniversary Community Concert featuring Grammy©-nominated, multi-instrumentalist and Singer-Songwriter Darrell Scott and the Darrell Scott Electrifying Trio, with local favorites If Birds Could Fly on Saturday, May 14 on the college’s campus.

This special free community event will celebrate MECC’s 50th year of serving the region. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, retirees, and the public are invited to attend. Food and beverage vendors will be on site, along with a beer garden provided by the Town of Big Stone Gap. VFP of Duffield, a communications shelter manufacturer in the Southwest Virginia region, is the major sponsor for this event. The event will begin under the tent on MECC’s campus at 6 p.m., with If Birds Could Fly scheduled to perform at 7 p.m., followed by Darrell Scott at 8 p.m.
MECC is celebrating its 50th anniversary October 2021 – December 2022. Activities and events are planned throughout the year. Additional scheduled events include the 50th Anniversary Gala October 22, 2022, featuring John McCutcheon. The MECC Foundation, which exists to support the mission of the college, has set a goal to raise $2M to support scholarships, infrastructure improvements, and other needs to commemorate this special anniversary. In lieu of ticket sales for the concert event, the MECC Foundation encourages donations to its 50th Anniversary Fund to support scholarships, infrastructure development, and unrestricted needs at www.meccfoundation.org/give.
Approximately 600 covered seats will be available for this event. Attendees may also bring lawn chairs if preferred. Attendees are restricted from bringing food and drink to the venue. No firearms are allowed on campus.
For more information on MECC’s 50th anniversary, please visit www.mecc.edu/mecc50.