Special to the Salisbury Post

SALISBURY — Happy Roots, a nonprofit organization that provides nature-based therapeutic and education services, will sponsor the sixth annual Earth Day Jam on April 19-20.

Guests will enjoy live music by more than 15 acts over two days at the Rowan County Fairgrounds, featuring eco-friendly businesses, artisans and vendors, Earth Day educators, family-friendly activities, and local foods and beverages.

The fairgrounds, at 1560 Julian Road, are a new location for Earth Day Jam, which was held at Dark Before Dawn Farm in 2018.

Activities begin at 5 p.m. April 19 and 11 a.m. April 20.

The presenting sponsor is Ben Mynatt Nissan, which will help Happy Roots by raffling off a new Nissan Kicks.

Proceeds from the raffle and jam will support Happy Roots’ horticulture therapy and environmental stewardship programs, including the Henderson School Greenhouse Project and Garden, TOES Community Garden, West End Community Park, Price Head Start and Salisbury Academy School Gardens, and Happy Roots Composting Service.

Raffle tickets are $30 each, and only 1,000 will be sold.

The vehicle is displayed in the dealership’s showroom. Tickets may be purchased at Ben Mynatt Nissan, during upcoming promotional events, or at the Happy Roots and Earth Day Jam websites.

Earth Day Jam includes a lineup of local to internationally touring musical acts featuring Southern Avenue of Memphis, Tennessee, which is signed with the “Soulsville” label Stax Records that recorded artists such as Otis Redding, Booker T & the MGs, the Staple Singers, Sam & Dave and Isaac Hayes.

Southern Avenue received a Blues Music Award as Best Emerging Artist Album in 2018. Their self-titled debut album entered the Billboard blues albums chart at No. 6 in February 2017 and reached No. 1 on the iTunes blues chart.

In 2017-18, the band toured more than 15 places including Australia, Canada, Europe and Scandinavia.

Two other headline acts are:

• Camel City Collective, a North Carolina Triad-based improv jam group that features members of Marshall Tucker Band, Acoustic Syndicate, Yarn and Foreign Exchange.

• Travers Brothership, a group based in Asheville that won the Best Studio Album of 2016 award at Home Grown Music Network and Raleigh’s Band Together Competition in 2017. The group was runner-up in FloydFest’s On-the-Rise Competition and has just returned from a European tour promoting their second LP, “Let the World Decide.”

Other acts will include Paleface, Marvelous Funkshun, Big Break, and Liam & the Nerdy Blues.

Single-day tickets and weekend passes are available online on both websites. Early-bird weekend passes are on sale now for $20. Tent and RV camping options are available for an additional fee.

Sponsors include Ben Mynatt Nissan, Hammer Truck Sales, Snug Records Studio, Burly’s Marketing & Advertising, Freirich Flavor, Doosan Infracore Portable Power, Top Hat Contractors, United Beverages of NC, New Sarum Brewing Co., Heart of Yoga Salisbury, Heart Centered Horsemanship, Wallace Realty, Rowan Diagnostics Clinic, F&M Bank, James River Equipment, Fish Bowl, Godley’s Garden Center, Simply Good Natural Foods, Salisbury Salon & Spa, Pho Uy, Green Planet Insulation, Power Home Solar and Healing Garden.

In its first year, Happy Roots has focused on increasing access to community gardens and locally grown food, hosting classes that support natural health and wellness, and youth programs that create opportunities for children to participate in gardening, yoga, therapeutic horsemanship, and music.

For more information, visit www.earthdayjamnc.com.