Tom Dooley on stage this weekend

The final performances of the 2024 season of the stage play “Tom Dooley: A Wilkes County Legend” will be performed this week at Benton Hall at 300 D Street in North Wilkesboro.

The performances start with a 30-minute concert by the Americana music group Magnolia Fire. The shows will be held on Thursday, July 18; Friday, July 19; and Saturday, July 20, at 7 p.m.; and on Sunday, July 21, at 2:30 p.m.

The show is presented this season, through a partnership between Bleu Moon Productions and Wilkes Playmakers.

The Dooley legend was made internationally famous by the Kingston Trio’s ballad, “Tom Dooley” in 1958, which later won the group a Grammy Award. The show is written and directed by Karen Reynolds and is now in its 20th season.

Come see the story behind the ballad unfold before your eyes with actors from Wilkes and its surrounding areas. It is the story of a handsome war hero, his adoring girlfriend and an old flame determined to rekindle their romance, despite her own marriage. It all adds up to a love triangle that explodes in jealousy, murder and—eventually—a potentially wrongful execution. And it all goes to show that history is far from the dry, dusty textbook chapters we often assume history to be.

For more information visit tomdooleyNC.com