SkyBest is excited to announce that it will be the Mainstage Series sponsor of An Appalachian Summer Festival, the monthlong cultural arts series held on the campus of Appalachian State University that features programs in music, theatre, dance and visual arts.

The Mainstage Series features a total nine musical performance events in Farthing Auditorium, highlighted by such notables as Bruce Hornsby and a New Orleans evening with Ellis and Delfeayo Marsalis, plus mountain music revivalists Old Crow Medicine Show, a New York-based group that was discovered by Doc Watson's daughter Nancy.

Presented annually by the University's Office of Arts and Cultural Programs, Appalachian Summer Festival is attended by more than 25,000 people, and has emerged as one of the nation's most innovative and highly regarded regional, multidisciplinary arts festivals.

The nine Mainstage events sponsored by SkyBest Communications are:

"We are very pleased to partner with our regional university and support the arts through this sponsorship," said SkyLine Chief Executive Officer John Dixon. "The breadth and quality of performances of this Mainstage Series line-up is outstanding, and we hope many of our customers from across the region will take advantage of the special admission prices to enjoy many of them."

Another special feature of this year's sponsorship will be an assortment of great prizes to be announced to attendees at these performances. A special coupon will be featured with the July billing statement for SkyLine/SkyBest customers to complete and bring to any SkyBest Mainstage Series event for a chance to win. "It's just another way to make this sponsorship an enjoyable experience for our customers, and we'll also have a special SkyBest display that provides additional information about our wide array of services," Dixon said.

The SkyBest sponsorship of the entire Mainstage Series affords both SkyLine and SkyBest customers discount admission on their choice of any of these nine events. To qualify for the discount, customers may call the box office and identify themselves as a SkyLine or SkyBest customer.

To order tickets and qualify for the discount, contact the ASU Farthing Auditorium Box Office at 1-800.841.ARTS (2787).

For more information about SkyBest's sponsorship of the Mainstage Series or other events of this festival, visit SkyBest's Web site at www.skybest.com.

SkyBest Communications, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SkyLine Membership Corporation, a telecommunications cooperative that serves Alleghany, Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties in North Carolina and Johnson County in east Tennessee. SkyBest offers de-regulated products and services, including local calling services, business systems and networking solutions, broadband Internet services and long distance.