COUNTDOWN TO FESTIVAL

Oh, my goodness!  I have less than a month to get it all together and be ready for our homeplace to turn into a little bluegrass village.  How will we ever get it done?   Actually, those are the sentiments I express every year about this time.  And it never changes.  I start to feel the pressure of all the preparation bearing down on me. But this year there is an element of anticipation in the air.  We are very anxiously awaiting the arrival of a precious little grandson who is due at festival time.  Some of you may recall that we experienced the joyful event of the birth of our first grandchild 3 years ago when our daughter gave birth to a precious little girl nearly two weeks prior to the 2011 festival.  At least this time around the birth will take place here in Tennessee instead of Colorado.  *Thank you, kids, for moving back to Tennessee!

We've had a busy summer with some beautiful weddings being held here on the farm.  And there is another one scheduled for the Saturday following the festival.  And in spite of the busy happenings here at home, we found time to attend 3 major bluegrass festivals (Auburn, AL; Marion, NC; The MACC in Columbus, Ohio) to see many of the bands you'll be seeing here in a few weeks.  
Currently we are trying to wrap up our camping reservations.  If you haven't sent in your balance, you need to call asap.  The packets will be put together next week and we must have everyone's money for camping and those advance tickets before I get started on those.  Please take care of this little bit of business if you haven't already.  The deadline was August 15 but several of you are still dragging your feet!  Our waitlist was unusually long this year but we have finally managed to get everyone placed.
 It's going to be a great year for jamming.  We already have some jammers camping with us awaiting the festival.  So don't forget to pack your instrument of choice before you leave home!
We hope you'll see your favorite band here this year.  And if your favorite isn't on the lineup, rest assured that the bands on the lineup are top notch and will try to quench your need for bluegrass.
If you are planning to arrive early in the week, keep in mind that you will be allowed to place your chairs in the barn beginning Monday, Sept. 15 at 7am if you have already purchased your tickets.
Here's a special request from a couple of our campers who love to play tennis: Lamar Moss and Jerry Bailey will be arriving Sunday, Sept. 14 and would like to challenge a couple of you to a match on one of the fine courts in Sevierville sometime during the week.  Lamar's wife, Janet would also like to find some ladies to play doubles.  Are you game?  If you are, let me know and I will put you in touch with them.  They play every year when they visit for the festival.
Food........................we'll have plenty of vendors to choose from this year.  I'm especially anxious to have Dale's Fried Pies here.   They are a regular vendor at the Knoxville Farmers Market events and have wonderful food.  
The schedule is already posted on the website.  Take a look and see when your favorite bands are going to grace our stage.  We hope you're going to love the shows this year.
We are going to be hosting visitors from all over the US and abroad.  If you're coming from another country, be sure to let us know!  We want to welcome all bluegrassers from everywhere!
If you have any questions about the festival, please give us a call or send an email.   Tickets are available at the gate.  Bring a friend, your chair and a good attitude to have a great bluegrass experience here at Dumplin Valley!  See you in September. :) m