Earth Day Asheville is approaching and this year local bands have a chance to celebrate by taking home a hefty $1,000 dollar prize.  Earth Day planners have organized an on-line contest where local fans can vote for their favorite bands in six music genres; Jazz/Blues/R&B; Bluegrass/Oldtime; Americana/Country/Acoustic; Latin/World/Reggae; Rock/Funk/Dance; and Electronic.  The winners in each category will receive a check for $1,000.00 and also be invited to perform at The Orange Peel as part of the Earth Day festivities on April 22 from 7pm until midnight. 

Deadline for band entries is February 29th and the contest starts on March 1st.    There is a 20.00 fee to enter the contest, and that's pretty reasonable for a chance at one of the $1,000 prizes.   Participating bands will be promoted on the event website and that alone is probably worth the 20 bucks.

Band entry forms are available on-line at www.earthdayasheville.org. 

Additional information is available at www.myspace.com/earthdayasheville.

The contest and event is being organized by Quality Forward, a Keep America Beautiful affiliate.    The concert is presented by Asheville-based grocery, Earth Fare, and is sponsored by other environmentally-conscious businesses. Other sponsors include, but are not limited to, Pepsi Cola Bottling, Have-A-Cup, Hands of Sean Perry, Jimmy White Builders, Mountain Xpress, Asheville Radio Group, Mast General Store and Biltmore Iron and Metal.  

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