Evangeline Bluegrass and Traditional Music Festival underway
The Roys, Larry Efaw and the Bluegrass Mountaineers among those to perform
The 15th annual Evangeline Bluegrass and Traditional Music Festival is underway until July 12 at the festival grounds in AbramVillage.
Thirteen groups of musicians are scheduled to perform bluegrass and traditional music over a period of four days, and bluegrass music fans from across Canada and from many parts of the United States are expected to converge on the area to enjoy 30 hours of music by high-performing bluegrass bands from Ohio, Nashville and the Maritimes.
For the second consecutive year and by popular demand, the program got underway last evening with a special two-hour show.
One of the highlights of the weekend will be Larry Efaw and the Bluegrass Mountaineers from Ohio. This top-notch bluegrass group will perform today and Saturday.
A duo that will undoubtedly receive a lot of attention is The Roys, another highlight of the festival, from Nashville, Tenn. They will take centrestage on Saturday and Sunday.
Other groups who will be performing will be the Bluegrass Diamonds, one of the most popular bluegrass bands of the Maritimes, as well as Simply Blue from New Brunswick. From Nova Scotia will be Close To Home and the Ryan Dillman Band with P.E.I. performers including Janet McGarry and Wildwood, S.K. Bluegrass, Two Plus Three, Bluegrass Revival, Heartfelt Bluegrass, Dylan Ferguson and Eastwind.
Festival committee co-presidents Dianne Gallant and Raymond Bernard believe that it is the atmosphere that makes a bluegrass festival such a great event.
“A lot of musicians attend the festival, they added, and you are invited to take part in the picking and jamming in the campground, where amateur and professional musicians come together to entertain you into the wee hours of the morning.”
The festival will also include workshops, open mike sessions and a children’s program. Meals will be available throughout the weekend at the Resto-Bar La Trappe, and there will be canteen services on site. Sites with hook-ups are still available with lots of space for rough camping.
For information, call Gallant, 902-854-3457, Bernard, 902-8542324, or campground manager Eric Richard, 902-315-2593. People can also visit the festival’s website, www.evangelinebluegrassfestival.ca