Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light | Sails Original Music Series
Schedule
Fri May 22 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:30 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Downtown Hickory | Hickory, NC
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The City of Hickory's Sails Original Music Series, presented by Protection Products, Inc., will feature Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 22, at Union Square in downtown Hickory.RACHEL SUMNER & TRAVELING LIGHT
rachelsumnermusic.com
www.facebook.com/rachelsumnermusic
Instagram: @rtsumner
--ABOUT THE ARTIST--
Bookish bite. Sharp harmonies. Songs about saints, scientists, and stubborn women—this band delivers a sound that’s as fierce as it is thoughtful.
Fresh off their 2025 Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest win, Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light are a Boston-based string band making music that blends folk tradition with feminist storytelling, poetic detail, and a little grit. At the center is Sumner’s songwriting—rooted in history, myth, and personal reckoning—carried by close harmonies, upright bass, acoustic guitar, and fiddle. The trio features Kat Wallace on fiddle and vocals and Mike Siegel on upright bass and vocals, whose playing brings both tension and tenderness to the sound.
Their sound is spare and intimate, sometimes eerie, sometimes sweet, always intentional. They call it Femericana—sharp-edged Americana with a splash of feminine rage.
Sails Music Coordinator Bob Sinclair says to get ready for “a spellbinding trio that brings traditional music, crafty songwriting, and feisty feminist storylines to the stage.”
--ABOUT THE SAILS ORIGINAL MUSIC SERIES--
Started in 2012, the City of Hickory’s Sails Original Music Series showcases well-crafted, live music by bringing original music artists to The Sails on the Square. Original music is defined as music that is written or composed by the artist who performs it.
For more information about the Sails Original Music Series, please visit www.HickoryNC.gov/SailsMusic and follow the Sails Original Music Series Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SailsMusic.
--SPONSORS--
The Sails Original Music Series, a Bob Sinclair Music production, presents excellent musical entertainment from national and international touring acts with the support of numerous sponsors. Thanks to presenting sponsor Protection Products, Inc., and supporting sponsors Larry’s Music & Sound, Pfahlert Creative Labs, Olde Hickory Brewery, and Crowne Plaza for supporting the series.
--ABOUT THE VENUE--
The Sails on the Square are located in the heart of downtown Hickory on Union Square. In addition to the seating available at Union Square, audience members are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. A variety of bars and restaurants are close by and offer food and beverage choices. Parking is free. An interactive downtown parking map is available at www.hickorync.gov/downtown-parking-map.
ABC permitted businesses within the Hickory Downtown Social District sell beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages in specially marked cups that may be consumed on Union Square, sidewalks, and other public areas within the designated boundaries of the social district. No outside alcohol may be brought into the social district. To review additional restrictions and a detailed map of the social district’s coverage area, visit www.hickorync.gov/downtown-social-district.
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Where is it happening?
Downtown Hickory, 280 Union Sq, Hickory, NC 28601-6110, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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