Labor Day Bluegrass festival firing up
The annual music jam in Armuchee continues through Saturday night.
The 45th annual Armuchee Labor Day Bluegrass Festival officially kicks off tonight, but some of the musicians and regular fans have been camping onsite since Tuesday.
“This is like old home week for me,” said Dan Daniel, president of the Southeast Bluegrass Association, as he filled a plate at the traditional Thursday night potluck dinner.
Daniel, who heads up the Atlanta Country Music Hall of fame band Georgia Grass, has been coming since Chuck and Kricket Langley bought the land to start it. He said about 20 bands will hit the stage during the two-day event at Armuchee Music Park, 899 Turkey Mountain Road — but festival-goers will hear more than that.
“A lot of big-name players come just to hang out,” he said. “They’ll be picking all through the campground.”
Admission is $10 tonight, when the gate opens at 4:45 p.m. It’ll be $12 on Saturday, starting at 10:45 a.m. Children under 12 get in free with their parents.
The fiddling will last until late into the night, Daniel said.
Among the scheduled players are Night Travelers, Dead Girl Song, Hickory Wind and the Bruce Weeks Family. Saturday will feature McGill & Company, Sojourner, New Willow Creek and the East Dixie Boys.
Kelley Lane said his band, Jerusalem Ridge, would just be on stage tonight. He and his wife, Marcie Lane, came for the Thursday potluck and to set up their tent. “There will be a lot of vendors and I’m one of them,” he said. “I build guitars.”
A range of arts and crafts will be offered for sale, along with all kinds of down-home country food. Master of ceremonies is Phyllis Cole, cofounder of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, and all fiddlers are welcome to play during the introductions at the start of each day.
“The main stage has lots of seating, but you can bring your own chair if you’d like to,” Daniel said.
The festival wraps up with a Sunday worship service at 9:30 a.m.
The music park hosts two big bluegrass festivals a year. Daniel said the Memorial Day gathering brought in about 3,000 people and he expects about the same this weekend if the weather holds.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight, mostly before 9 p.m. Saturday is expected to be clear and sunny, with a high near 82 during the day and a low of 60 in the evening.