The Clayton Center celebrates the 2010-11 Palladian Series in style on Friday, Aug. 27, with an event guaranteed to get your mojo going.
The Clayton Center Season Kick-Off & Community Event Showcase will feature a concert by Mel Melton & the Wicked Mojos, the official release of the 2010-2011 season lineup, giveaways, door prizes, light refreshments and an opportunity to hear about the major special events coming up in Clayton.
The mojo kicks in at 6 p.m. when The Clayton Center opens its doors to the Community Event Showcase. Civic and community organizations, including the Downtown Development Association, Clayton Chamber of Commerce, Clayton Parks and Recreation Department, Clayton Visual Arts, Clayton Historical Association, Clayton Woman’s Club, Clayton Farm and Community Market and Clayton Youth Theater, will be present to talk about their upcoming activities. Showcase participants will have giveaways throughout the evening.
The Clayton Center also will sponsor several door prizes. The grand prize is two season tickets to the 2010-2011 Palladian Series, which runs from October through April. The total value of the ticket package is $270.
The concert, which begins at 8 p.m. in The Clayton Center Auditorium will follow the release of The Clayton Center’s eight season.
Mel Melton & The Wicked Mojos is a popular zydeco/Cajun flavored blues band. Nicknamed “The Zydeco Chef,” the multi-talented Melton cooks on stage as well as in the kitchen as owner of Durham’s Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse restaurant. He’s a classic blues harmonica musician who is backed by a talented band that gets its audiences out of their seats and on their feet before they know what hit them. When Melton describes the Wicked Mojos’ music, he says, “There's zydeco, of course, and Cajun and blues, and New Orleans jazz and funk. But as far as what we're playing, I call it Mojo Music."
Tickets to the event are $15. The first 100 patrons to purchase a ticket also will receive admission to the private wine tasting event. Wine tasting participants will vote for their favorite wines of the evening. The most popular wines will be served by The Clayton Center during the Palladian Series. Light refreshments also will be served, and a cash bar will be open in the main lobby.
For more information about the Clayton Center Season Kick-Off & Community Event Showcase, call The Clayton Center box office at 919-553-1737, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased at the box office, located at 111 E. Second St. in downtown Clayton, about 15 miles east of Raleigh, or by phone, or online at www.theclaytoncenter.com.
Popular artists presented in past seasons at The Clayton Center include Kathy Mattea, Ricky Skaggs, Johnny Winter, Jesse Cook, John Pizzarelli, Doc Watson, Eileen Ivers, Riders In the Sky, the Harlem Gospel Choir and David Sedaris.
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For more than ten years, the staff of the Johnston County Visitors Bureau has been curating unique content about the people, places, food, attractions, and shopping throughout Johnston County to share with you, our visitors! Keep in touch and read our weekly blog posts -- and we hope you visit us soon! #visitjoco

Donna Bailey-Taylor
Donna Bailey-Taylor started as the Director of the Visitors Bureau in August 1996, and continues to love her job and promoting the county. Donna has deep roots in the county as her father's family is from Benson and her mother was born in Clayton. Donna has big dreams for the county in the area of tourism development, hoping the Mountains to the Sea Trail will be completed between Clayton and Smithfield and the new Visitor Center/Museum at Bentonville Battlefield will happen. There are many tourism development projects in the works and it's an exciting time for tourism growth in the county. Keep in touch via Donna's blog!


