2012 East Troy Bluegrass Festival
The sounds of Bluegrass music and the fans who love it will fill East Troy’s historic village square for the 19th Annual East Troy Bluegrass Festival on Sept. 8 –9. The rain location is East Troy Middle School, 3143 Graydon Ave.
A full line-up of Bluegrass bands and contests, plus lots of great food and East Troy Marketplace vendors, will take place from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. each day.
The event opens on Saturday with an open stage at 10 a.m., followed by the fiddle contest at 11:30 a.m. The bands start in the afternoon, with Spring City Grass at 1 p.m., Truman’s Ridge at 2 p.m., Band Scramble at 3 p.m., Freshwater at 4 p.m. and the national headliner The Karl Shiftlett & Big Country Show at 5 p.m.
Best known for their highly entertaining retro stage show, The Karl Shiftlett & Big Country Show have captured the irrepressible bounce and down-home, audience-pleasing, good naturedness of Classic Country and Bluegrass acts of the 1940s and 1950s. Hailing from Texas, they have managed to insert their own unique perspective, cultivating a sound that has brought them acclaim as one of the most identifiable and recognizable names in Bluegrass music.
The music resumes on Sunday with a gospel service featuring the Burie Family at 10 a.m. followed by the banjo, mandolin and guitar contests at 11:30 a.m. The bands return in the afternoon with KR Bluegrass at 1 p.m., Daylight in the Swamp at 2 p.m., Bluegrass Kids at 3 p.m., Brew City Drifters at 4 p.m. and national headliner Nothin’ Fancy at 5 p.m.
From the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, comes one of the most entertaining bands in the Bluegrass genre, Nothin’ Fancy. As a matter of fact, they won the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America’s award for Entertaining Group of the Year three years in a row! The band formed in 1994 to compete in the East Coast Bluegrass Championship in Crimora, Va. After winning their auspicious debut, they have grown in popularity. According to Bluegrass Now magazine, the band has “a unique sound that vacil-lates between smooth, progressive Bluegrass and country-tinged Americana.”
Weekend wristbands will be sold for $5 per person to help defray the festival costs; children 15 and under will be admitted free. Bring your own lawn chairs. No alcohol allowed at this family event. For more information, contact the East Troy Area Chamber of Commerce at (262) 642-3770.