"Getting To Know..." is a new feature where we shine a spotlight on the people that make the Triangle music and arts scene so special.
Music has been an integral part of Heather LaGarde's life. Born and raised in Chapel Hill, her father spent many years as a touring musician before settling down and landing a job at UNC as a professor of jazz and rock and roll.
"My dad played for a lot of wonderful people out in the world as a trumpet player,” she said. “I woke up to him practicing scales every day.”
Growing up in the ‘80s, LaGarde spent a lot of time at Cat's Cradle and soaking in music up and down Franklin Street.
After spending 17 years in New York working with nonprofits and human rights organizations, LaGarde and her husband Tom moved back and bought a small farm near Saxapahaw, about 16 miles outside of Chapel Hill. In New York, the two would help organize film festivals and other community events, and they wanted to do something similar at their new home. This led to them launching Saturdays In Saxapahaw, a free concert series that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
In 2008, the LaGardes bought the building that would eventually become the Haw River Ballroom. With their friend and partner, Margaret Jemison, they spent four years tearing down and reconstructing the space and it's now one of the most unique and beloved venues in the country. Housed in a historic dye house, the venue has hosted artists like Jason Isbell, Waxahatchee, and Julien Baker for almost 15 years now. Last year, it also hosted Sleepy Fest, a festival curated by the Carrboro-based Sleepy Cat Records. "Heather embodies community leadership. She's at the forefront of music and art in Alamance County and spreads her welcoming, caring nature throughout the state," says Saman Khoujinian of Sleepy Cat. "We at the label can't praise her enough." People can also rent the Haw River Ballroom for weddings and other events.
I caught up with LaGarde recently at the Haw River Ballroom to talk about the venue's history and what life looks like in Saxapahaw.
What was this building before 2008?
Before 2008 it was the dye house for the cotton mill. The cotton mill was the lower mill building in Saxapahaw, and then this building was the dye house. All of the materials that they had, all the threads, all the cotton, would come in here, and the actual ballroom was where the dyeing happened. The building where The Eddy Pub is now is where the lab was, where they'd mix the colors, and then here they would actually dye them.
The big vat that people might know if they've come into the space is a dryer. There were dye vats on one side of the wall, dryers on the other, and there's still a big gantry hook on the ceiling that we left to show where they would pick up the bales of cotton and dump them into the dryers.
What inspired you to open the venue?
Well, I grew up in the music world, and I love music very dearly. After spending 17 years away in New York where I was working on human rights projects, we decided to move back to North Carolina and we ended up buying a little farm near Saxapahaw. We were going to do a sort of music series on our farm, because we lived out in the country and it felt like a fun and abrupt change from our lives in New York. Once we saw what was going on in Saxapahaw and we met the owners of the mill, we pitched them the idea of Saturdays In Saxapahaw as a music event that would draw in people who want a real North Carolina experience. Real farmers, real music, real neighbors.
So we started that, and as it grew we got more and more involved in this community and we saw the potential of what music could do here in a small rural rehab village. The building was about to be knocked down, so we begged a lot of people to get involved in saving it and after that we decided to turn it into what it is now.
For people who aren't familiar, tell us more about Saturdays In Saxapahaw.
Saturdays and Saxapahaw is now in its 20th year, which is insane. We started it as a little farmers market and music series, and it runs from the beginning of May through the end of August, every single Saturday night from five to eight. Local bands play on a hay wagon stage that used to really be a hay wagon.
In the early days it was mostly for farmers, but now it's quite big. There's usually about 1000 people there every week and there are food trucks, farmers, crafters, and artists. There's a giant Slip ‘N Slide and big bubbles in the kids area. People come to just sit on the hillside with a picnic while great bands play. I also walk around with a big swan bucket to raise money for the bands. Because of that, a lot of people just know me as “the swan lady,” which I like.
Where was your favorite place for live music when you were growing up?
I grew up loving Cat's Cradle. When I was really young I used to sneak in there with a fake ID, never to drink, but always because I just really loved the music. We were immersed in my parent's music as kids, but what I was drawn to growing up was more of the indie, punk, new wave type of music that was coming through that venue. My dad was super into jazz and old rock ’n’ roll, so I was one of those teenagers walking down Franklin Street with a semi-fake mohawk, wearing all black and lots of eyeliner. I graduated high school in 1987, and you could hear so much unbelievable music just walking down Franklin Street at that time.
Where was Cat's Cradle located at that time?
It was on West Franklin Street, across from where the McDonald's is now. It was a bookstore for a while and I'm not sure what's there now. I also worked at Nice Price Books when I was in high school, which was where the Cradle is now. There was a recording studio where the Cat's Cradle Back Room is now, and on our breaks at Nice Price, we'd wander over and sing background vocals for whoever was recording that day. I'm not a musician but anybody who was around would pop in and sing.
And because of my dad, we knew a lot of music people. We were on tour with the Bee Gees and Leonard Bernstein, and had kind of a fun summers where we would do these crazy trips.
Tell us a little bit about the staff at the Haw River Ballroom.
Oh, our wonderful, beloved staff. Most of our staff has been with us since we opened almost 15 years ago. Some of them were our babysitters when we started, and self-trained or trained with us to become lighting directors and sound people. Over the years we've gotten a little more professional and have brought in people who were already trained.
I love our staff, and when we had to shut down during the pandemic, that was one of the worst moments of running something with people you love. We tried to hold on as long as we could, but eventually we could not. But when we reopened, every single staff member returned. That's still, to me, one of the most beautiful moments of the Ballroom on the other side of one of the worst moments of the Ballroom. They're very diverse in many, many ways and have a lot of ideas and opinions and have brought so much to this place in terms of their energy and what they could imagine as we've grown forward.
I do think the Haw River Ballroom is the best sounding venue in the state. Why do you think that is?
Part of it is that I knew if I didn't make it sound really good, my dad would be dismayed. Having grown up going to a lot of venues, I was always thinking about how they sounded and how they felt. I spent a lot of time backstage with my dad watching audiences receive music. If you can pull off making a space that makes the music sound as beautiful as it is, and if your space does not hinder the beautifulness of the music, but instead, enhances it, then I think people can receive music at a deeper level. I think music is really one of the most beautiful gifts and cathartic things we can experience as people. I really see it as a valuable part of being alive. And so it matters to me that it feels good.
The first big professional show we had in here was with Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch, which was a crazy story in itself, but when Dave walked in, he's snapping his fingers, he's clapping his hands in this big brick and glass box. And we were terrified. He's notoriously very picky about sound being good. And my husband Tom and I were just like, in little fetal positions in the side of the room, just terrified about what his reaction would be. And he goes, "Sounds great." After that we were like, yeah, that is gonna be okay.
Did you have any type of warm up shows before Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch came through?
Our first ever show was with The Love Language, The Old Ceremony, and Paperhand Puppet. I have a little theory about a three three-ring circus, you have to do three things to draw people out here, or at least in the old days you did. And we thought, if 50 or 100 people come, we're gonna be happy. So we opened the doors, and the show completely sold out. We were ecstatic. That show was so meaningful to me.
Let's talk about Saxapahaw a little bit. How would you describe this place to someone who has never been?
I think Saxapahaw is still a little bit of a secret, and I really like that part of it. It's still a place you could stumble upon as you're driving somewhere. And I like to imagine pulling in here, as if I didn't know it already, and going, "What is this Wonderland?" It's not what you'd expect in this area, in this little country-ish place, but it's very sweet. The fact that it's got the river running through it is the quintessential part of what is miraculous about Saxapahaw. We have an island that everyone has access to and can run around and play on. It's got a giant playground on it with a huge wooden fish that kids can climb on. It's a beautiful place to kayak and there's natural beauty flowing from all the trees, and it's a very welcoming community. You've got a brewery, and a butchery, and restaurants with a real commitment to farm-to-table and supporting organic farmers. I really love it here.
What does an ideal day here look like for you?
I would get up early and start the day with brunch at either The Eddy or the Saxapahaw General Store. They're both great places to eat and the meet some new people. Then I'd get a coffee at Cup 22, which is the coffee shop in the Ballroom. After that I'd hit the river. I go kayaking almost every day, and the Haw River Canoe and Kayak company is a great place. It's really shallow and safe, and if you're up for it you can go up the river 5 miles to Swepsonvile and then come back down. On the river you'll see eagles, and herons, and turtles and now there are river otters and beavers too. After that I'd go check out the farms, and then hike around the island in the river. The trails system in Alamance County is really wonderful.
Where do you like to spend time in the Triangle when you're not in Saxapahaw?
I love to eat at Lantern in Chapel Hill, especially in the smaller back room. I still spend a lot of time at Cat's Cradle and I love The Pinhook in Durham. I also love the rooftop of the Durham Hotel.
