There will be plenty of “pickin’ and grinnin’” this Saturday, September 9th, as the Carolina Bible Camp & Retreat Center hosts its Sixth Annual CBC Bluegrass Festival. This day-long festival promises to feature great music, food, and fellowship – not to mention a few surprises. Gates open at 10 a.m. Music will start at 11a.m. and end at 6:30 p.m.
The family-friendly festival is a tobacco free, alcohol-free event. Tickets are $15.00 in advance, $20.00 at the gate. Children under 12 are admitted free with a paying adult. Go to www.cbcbluegrass.com to purchase tickets online or to view a list of businesses selling tickets. The festival will be held rain or shine thanks to a number of large tents!
“Our guests are sure to enjoy the best festival experience ever at CBC this year,” said festival Chairman Gregory J. Brewer. “We have multiple Grammy-award winning artists, more than a dozen new and unique vendors, and an auction with once-in-a-lifetime items and experiences for sale. Several items have been donated by our performing artists. Don’t miss our finale. There will be surprise guests coming to join Blue Highway on stage for a jam of ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken?’ that everyone will be talking about for weeks to come.”
Brewer was quick to point out that what makes the festival so special is the beautiful outdoor setting of Carolina Bible Camp’s 68-acre campus, the servant-hearted volunteers, and the purpose behind the fundraiser: to glorify God by providing first-rate Christian camping experiences for young people.
“This is the only bluegrass festival in the nation that is held at a Bible camp,” Brewer said. “Our volunteers wear t-shirts that say, ‘Servant,’ and that’s a reflection of their hearts and attitudes. This impacts our guests in a very positive way.”
The volunteers aren’t the only ones with a servant’s heart. Joe Huygens, president of the Piedmont Chapter of the Model A Ford Restorers’ Club is traveling to Rockport, Texas to help with the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Team on the morning after the festival. He is accepting donations of new men’s, women’s, and children’s socks and underwear, plastic storage containers with lids, individual serving fruit juices, fruit cups, snack bars and crackers, and Zip-Loc bags in sizes sandwich to gallon.
Featured Artists for 2017
Voted the “Favorite Bluegrass Artist of All Time” by the readers of Bluegrass Today, Blue Highway has earned 26 collective IBMA Awards, six SPBMGA Awards, one Dove Award, and numerous Grammy nominations.They are currently nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award in the category for Best Bluegrass Album for their chart-busting disc, “Original Traditional.”
Blue Highway members include Jason Burleson (banjo, vocals), Shawn Lane (mandolin, fiddle, vocals), Gaven Largent (dobro, vocals), Tim Stafford (guitar, vocals), and Wayne Taylor (bass, vocals). Blue Highway will perform on the CBC Front Porch Stage from 4:45 p.m – 6:15 p.m.
They will close the day with other artists on stage performing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”
Arizona native Dom Flemons may be best known as a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, with whom he earned a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album. Flemons is an author and poet who developed a deep interest in reviving, preserving and performing old-time music. “I might be playing music that’s 100 years old,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean my ears are only listening to music that’s 100 years old.” Dom Flemons will intrigue, instruct, and delight you with his banjo and more on the CBC Front Porch Stage from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Everyone’s favorite bluegrass buddy, Tim White, is returning to the CBC Bluegrass Festival for his third year in a row. The talented host of the PBS syndicated television show Song of the Mountains will perform with brothers Donny and Garry Ollis. Tim is also known for his syndicated radio program, The Tim White Bluegrass Show, which recently aired a
documentary he produced on Carolina Bible Camp. Tim White and Troublesome Hollow will tickle your ears and your funny bones on the CBC Front Porch Stage from 11:00 a.m. – 12 noon.
Fireside Collective, the winner of the 2016 MerleFest Band Competition, is quickly gaining a reputation as a must-see progressive acoustic ensemble. Formed in 2014, this group of folk music enthusiast blend elements of traditional bluegrass and American roots music with modern acoustic arrangements. Their energetic show transitions smoothly between danceable bluegrass numbers and passionate folk ballads, with a surprise Paul Simon number thrown in for good measure. With Jesse Laquinto on mandolin, Tommy Maher on dobro, Joe Cicero on acoustic guitar, and Carson White on upright bass, Fireside Collective brings a truly delightful exploration of roots music to the CBC Front Porch Stage from 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
The Loose Strings Band isn’t! This all-girl band from Galax, Virginia has tight arrangements and well-blended harmonies. Featured twice on the PBS program Song of the Mountains, they have completed no fewer than five albums. Known for their original compositions as well as top-notch
covers of other artists’ work, the Loose Strings includes Ashley Nale (banjo), Channing Russell Combs (guitar), Grace Wilson Davis (bass), Lindsey Nale (mandolin), and Mary Claire Hooper (fiddle). Catch them on the CBC Front Porch Stage from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Fun for the Whole Family!
While you are enjoying the best in bluegrass music, don’t forget to check out:
Parking is free. Handicapped parking and assistance is available for guests with special needs. No alcohol, no coolers, no pets, please. Bring your own chair.
ALL PROCEEDS benefit Carolina Bible Camp’s scholarship and capital development funds. No child has ever been turned away due to an inability to pay. Carolina Bible Camp promotes Bible study and a wholesome recreation experience.
Carolina Bible Camp Bluegrass Festival is sponsored by Brewer, Brewer and Sorel, PLLC, Carolina Hearing Clinic, and the Eye Care Centers of Hickory, Salisbury, and Statesville. Media Partners include the Winston- Salem Journal and WBRF-FM. Supporting partners are Davidson Home Crafters and Sage Garden Care Center.
Contact Information
Carolina Bible Camp is located at 1988 Jericho Church Road in Mocksville, NC, 27028. For more information, please contact CBC Bluegrass Festival Executive Director Lisa Brewer at (336) 262-6325 or visit www.cbcbluegrass.com.