More Photos from 3/28

Last Night's Fun

Well, we had an excellent night of entertainment along with the fun of seeing a lot of old friends as well as meeting new folks. Jimbo Whaley had his annual show at the Mills Auditorium in Gatlinburg and it was great. This year's show was different as it focused on the talents of many of his fellow members of Pine Mountain Railroad from a few years ago. Now, I must say that Pine Mountain Railroad is alive and thriving with a Dove Award nomination under their belts. But last night's show was meant to be a reunion of the band members from Jimbo's time with them. And it lived up to our expectations & more. Jimbo has been at Dumplin Valley for every show we have had in the last 10 years with one exception............that was the year he left PMRR. Otherwise, he and a group of fine musicians have been there to the delight of the crowd every year.
Attendance was good and the Mills Auditorium has never looked better. I had not been there since they underwent major renovations so I was pleasantly surprised when I walked through those doors. We have certainly spent many hours there in the past mostly attending dance recitals for our daughter and also the Festival of Trees that used to be held there. Thankfully, the City of Gatlinburg decided to recycle the old facility instead of tearing it down.
We gave away some JuneFest tickets last night and at least one of the winners is one of our regular "festivarians". We had an info table set up in the lobby and many people stopped by to chat and pick up a flyer. We hope to see all you people here in June or September!
I hope you enjoy the photos we took last night. The youngest member of the band is Jimbo's son, Turner, who is a budding musician in his own right.
You might be surprised to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus and so were we! But the children loved it and had their photos taken with them when they stopped by to chat with the jolly couple. Even "Aunt Barbara" had her photo taken!
Being around so many of our Dumplin Valley Family and Friends last night made us even more anxious for the festival season to begin. We hope to see you soon!
M

Hello To Our European Friends!

Joe and I are delighted to be hearing from bluegrassers in Europe. It is quite a treat for us to know that there are fellow bluegrass lovers all over the world and some who actually will be visiting here during our festivals this year. Some of them have visited with us in the past and it is nice to have them join us again. We were advised this past week that a soldier serving in Bahrain had made a pledge online to WDVX for a package including tickets to our JuneFest (he will be back in the USA by then).
Now...............if we can only generate that same level of interest in people who live close by! Come on, folks! If you live close by, come on over and give it a try. You might just find that you like it. And you might even meet some of your neighbors here, too. We do have a lot of local folks attend as well as people from all over the US and Canada. It's hard to beat a good family friendly event with some of the best music around. Whether you are a picker or a grinner (yes, some people fall into both categories), there's something for everyone.
There's always some great jamming and a lot of people leave here with the names and numbers of new friends with whom they may get together at other events for jamming.
By the way, did any of you hear Joe and I on WDVX this past Monday morning? We were on the Rise and Shine Show from 7-9am to help with the fund raiser. Several people phoned in a pledge to get tickets to JuneFest. It was fun and we enjoy helping WDVX keep bluegrass on the air!
If you haven't made your reservations for camping yet, it's time to do it! Give us a call. Tickets can be purchased in advance and will also be available at the gate.
M

Bluegrass Biz

It is so nice to hear from all of our bluegrass friends. We have received several phone calls and e-mails lately regarding reservations and tickets for the upcoming JuneFest event. We still have campsites available for June and only a few for September. So, if you are thinking about coming in June, give us a call. If you have checked the lineups, then you know that we have an exciting festival season coming up. You don't want to miss it! We are looking forward to seeing everyone again this year. And looking forward to meeting all the newcomers as well.
As you may know, many of the bands have had changes in band members this year. But never fear.................they have been good! We were at Palatka in February and saw several of those bands with new members and they were great.
Some of you have found your way to our Facebook page and I am glad to see you on there. Keep checking for information. I will put it on there as it becomes available. If you have any questions regarding upcoming shows, please let us know. You can call us at 865-397-7942 or e-mail us at dumplingrass@comcast.net.
Also, keep in mind that for those of you who will be camping with us, you can come in early..............just let us know when you plan to arrive. There are lots of things to see and do close by so you can enjoy our area attractions before and after you experience our festivals.
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
M

Max Patch Official Marker

This marker was placed here in 1933. We actually stumbled across it by accident.

A Short Springtime Hike

Today was a great day for taking advantage of one of our area's jewels. Joe and I decided in mid afternoon to take a ride up to Max Patch and hike to the top of the bald which just happens to have panoramic views of the mountains as well as a section of the Appalachian Trail running through it. The weather was quite chilly on top with the wind blowing all the while we were there. But it was a pleasant short hike with views that go on forever. The trees haven't blossomed yet but we saw several buds on their limbs. And when we got down from the mountain on the Del Rio side, we saw lots of trees in full bloom as well as creeping phlox in all colors and forsythia bushes exploding with color. I hope you enjoy these photos we took. I hope we can get back up there in the early summer when the trees are all green.