Shortcuts August 22 2001

Flat Rock, N.C.
The doctor of bluegrass is in. Doc Watson headlines the Flatrock Music Fall Festival this year, along with performances by Donna the Buffalo, Kate Campbell, the Laura Blackley Band and more. The singer-songwriters festival is scheduled Aug. 24-26. Bring the camping gear and enjoy a weekend in the outdoors, complete with tunes. Performance times vary. $55 weekend pass (includes camping); day passes $15-$35. Camp Ton-A-Wandah, Route 13, Hendersonville. 828-692-2005 or www.flatrockmusicfestival.com.

Clemson, S.C.
Yep, there’s such a thing as a Redneck Performing Arts Association and it’s holding the 21st annual Spitoono. The festival, which benefits local charities, also features cheap beer, plenty of food and live music from the Rainy Day Women, Drovers Old Time Medicine Show, Mystic Road Show, Deadly Crank Dogs, the Wild Hog Band and more. Contests like tobacco spitting (distance, not form — the winning spit must be at least the diameter of a dime), beer chugging and clogging are scheduled to determine who’s the biggest redneck. Yee-haw! Aug. 23-25. Times vary by day. Free. Highway 76 and Pendleton Road on the ballfield behind the National Guard Armory. www.pipeline.com/~piggsty/index.html.

Chattanooga, Tenn.
Can’t think of a better place to be than in downtown Chattanooga with more than 30 handcrafted ales and lagers to sample. Abita Brewing Company, Big River Brewery, Bosco Brewing Co., Dogwood Brewery, Sam Adams Brewing Co. and Sweetwater Brewing Co. are just a few of the vendors participating in the eighth annual Southern Brewers Festival Aug. 25. The event also boasts live entertainment by Blues Pond, Bone Pony, the Derailers and more. Proceeds benefit the Arts & Education Council, a nonprofit organization. 2-11 p.m. $3 children; $6 and $10 taster’s admission, includes a souvenir mug. Downtown. www.southernbrewersfest.org.

-- LEA KEEL