Scott Carpenter
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 12:33 pm
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Chris Dolman is excited about the upcoming "Come Back to Lake Lure" bluegrass concert, that will be held Saturday, June 13. Dolman is producing the event through the Lake Lure Community Education Foundation. The show will be at the Beach Pavilion at Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure, starting at 5pm.
Hundreds are expected for the event, which Dolman says is a celebration that will showcase the fact that the lake is back open for the first time since Hurricane Helene struck in September, 2024.
Dolman loves Lake Lure and the Hickory Nut Gorge area, ever since he and his wife, Cathi Culbertson, first encountered Rutherford County back in 2000. They were visiting close friends who lived in the Greensboro area. The friends brought them to Western North Carolina.
"We loved the whole area, including Asheville, Blowing Rock, Boone. We had rented a cabin in Chimney Rock," Dolman shared.
When they decided that they wanted a North Carolina home, Dolman and his wife initially considered Asheville.
"We love Asheville. It is a city with a lot of energy. We love the restaurants, the music scene. It's a bustling city," Dolman said. "But then we realized that we wanted to move away from New York, to get away from that...we wanted a bit more quiet, a more rustic environment."
In 2017, they chose to purchase a home in the Rumbling Bald area of Lake Lure. At first, they spent long weekends and summer vacations in Lake Lure. Since 2022, Culbertson has lived here permanently, and Dolman was able to be here permanently since 2023.
Asheville, Dolman said, was a bit "too busy." He describes their Rumbling Bald home as quiet, and "in the woods." They both love Asheville and all that she offers, and they continue to visit there though their hearts, and home, are in Rutherford County.
In New York, Dolman was in the entertainment business as a theatre director and an actor. He also taught at a college.
The move to Rutherford County, marked the end of full-time professional work, and the beginning of the couple's "third act."
They have made new friends, and found projects and activities that are meaningful to them.
Dolman is passionate about building community, especially through his work with the Lake Lure Community Education Foundation which primarily supports Lake Lure Classical Academy, (which is the public charter school located in the town), as well as other community entities.
Saturday's concert will feature the bluegrass band, The Po' Ramblin' Boys, with Carley Arrowood and Daniel Thrailkill opening the show.
Dolman said he wants the event to help bring the community together, for "joyful music on the lake."
"It's a great time to visit the area for a few days, and take in all there is to offer here, whether it's music, hiking, great restaurants or the lake," Dolman added.
For tickets and information visit lakeluremusicfestival.com.