(8/7) The Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival now in its 26th
year is widely recognized as one of the world’s premier bluegrass music events.
This August marks the 53rd Festival to be held at scenic Granite Hill Camping
Resort and will once again showcase four full days of music from the 24th
through the 27th. With a combination of legendary performers and a variety of
hot up-and-comers, 30 exceptional artists on two stages, the festival lineup is
truly world class! An extensive Workshop Stage schedule is planned for Thursday
through Saturday, hosted by Mike and Gay Henderson. The workshop stage presents
a wide variety of informative learning sessions presented by favorite
performers in an up close informal setting. Tickets for the event start at $25
and can be purchased in advance until August 17th at a reduced price. Single or
multi-day tickets are also available at the gate during the festival, which
opens daily at 8AM. Ample free day parking is available on site and all
ticketed attendees may come and go as they please throughout the course of the
event. To purchase tickets in advance, at a discounted price, send a check or
money order to Granite Hill Camping Resort, 3340 Fairfield Road, Gettysburg, PA
17325 or call 800.642.8368. Visa and Master Card are accepted for advance
purchase only. Cash only will be accepted at the gate. For additional
information and up-to-date schedules, please visit www.gettysburgbluegrass.com
After more than 55 years in the music industry, Ralph
Stanley, age 79, and his accompanying band, The Clinch Mountain Boys, will kick
off the Festival with Thursday’s headlining performance. With the May release
of Ralph Stanley: A Distant Land To Roam – Songs of the Carter Family,
presented by DMZ/Columbia Records, Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys will
present some of the infamous Carter Family classics featured on the new album.
And, the band will be sure to play an assortment of the old fan favorites as
well.
The festival will kick into high gear on Friday as
Rhonda Vincent & THE RAGE return to the Festival’s main stage for the second
time this year. The International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IMBA) reigning
Emerging Artist of the Year winners, The Grascals, will follow Vincent’s
performance Friday evening. As Vincent and her band present some of the songs
from her new album, All American Bluegrass Girl Rhonda & the Rage will
certainly show fans in Gettysburg that she is just that. And, with their highly
anticipated second album, Long List of Heartaches, featuring guest performers,
Dierks Bentley, George Jones, the Jordanaires and Stever Wariner just days away
from its release, The Grascals are sure to have a great show in store for their
Gettysburg fans.
A stylistic medley of acts will be presented on
Saturday while music plays from 11:00 am to until midnight. The Festival is
pleased to announce The U.S. Navy Bluegrass Band as a recent patriotic addition
to the lineup. This band is the Navy’s premier country music ensemble. In 2004,
they performed at the G-8 Summit in Sea Island, GA, hosted by President George
W. Bush. They have performed at several Congressional Barbecues and served as
international ambassadors of goodwill. The Lonesome River Band, Dry Branch Fire
Squad, Gibson Brothers, The Seldom Scene, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver are among
the many other talented groups to perform on Saturday! Lonesome River Band, led
by Sammy Shelor, has been on the festival circuit since 1991. The band recently
had a major restructuring after three former members left the band (Brandon
Rickman, Mike Hartgrove and John Wade). Jeff Parker stayed on board and Shelor
and Parker picked up Barry Berrier on bass and Shannon Slaughter on guitar. The
band didn’t waste any time recovering from the shake-up and have since been
featured on the cover of Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine. They are still
performing with the infamous high-energy drive that Lonesome River Band fan’s
love. Next up will be Dry Branch Fire Squad (DBFS), one of Gettysburg’s true
perennial fan favorites, who have played more sets on the Festival’s main stage
than any other band. Joe Cornett, who founded the Festival in 1979, recently
said, "Ron Tomason (of DBFS) is unquestionably the consummate bluegrass
storyteller of our age and his band has been the most popular traditional
bluegrass band we have ever presented." The Seldom Scene, another recurrent
act, has performed at 52 Festivals in Gettysburg, just one single performance
fewer than DBFS. On the other end of the bluegrass spectrum though, The Seldom
Scene presents razor sharp, cutting edge music that still manages to retain its
tie to bluegrass roots. Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will close the night with
their smooth vocal harmonies showcased in their beautiful bluegrass gospel
tunes.
Sunday the 27th, which marks the final day of the
Festival, is not one to be missed. Packed full of bluegrass music until 4:30 pm
fans will have a second chance to hear their favorites, Dry Branch Fire Squad
and The Seldom Scene, play a second set. And, the band that truly cannot be
missed is the hot up-and-coming family band, Cherryholmes, who has taken the
bluegrass world by storm since their emergence in 2002. With a performance on
the Grand Ole Opry, a host of awards including the IBMA award for "Entertainer
of the Year," and a 2006 Grammy nomination for "Best Bluegrass Album," these
parents and their phenomenally talented four children undoubtedly impressed
fans at the May Festival and are selling out Sunday’s show this August.
The Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, hosted by Rich and
Cyndie Winkelmann and Joe and Lil Cornett is held at Granite Hill Camping
Resort. The internationally acclaimed bluegrass festival has taken place twice
a year since 1979. With a new format initiated this past May, each festival now
features 30 top Bluegrass and Traditional Country musicians performing on the
main stage, presenting informative workshops and meeting and greeting fans from
all over the world. During this late summer Festival; Granite Hill will also
host the Fifth Annual Gettysburg Bluegrass Academy for Kids. Bluegrass
musicians from kindergarten age through 12th grade are accepted. The academy
features instruction on all six primary bluegrass instruments by dedicated
instructors. Cost of tuition is only $35, call 717-642-8749 for registration.
The Festival will host numerous food, merchandise, and craft vendors throughout
the event. There are also a number of other activities on-site to entertain the
whole family such as fishing, swimming, boating, Adventure Golf and much, much,
more. For the most current Festival information including main stage and
workshop stage schedules please visit the website at
www.gettysburgbluegrass.com. For additional information please call
800.642.TENT