Post-Festival Update

If you missed the 15th Annual Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival, you missed a weekend of perfect weather, great bands and a gathering of festival attendees who seemed to have a blast.  The week leading up to the event was quite busy with the arrival (on the 13th) of our grandson, campers arriving, jamming and also Joe's birthday.  We really enjoyed getting to visit with our early arrivals.  There is a window of time between the first arrival and the start of the festivities when we are able to visit with our festival friends and do a little jamming, etc.  To us, that is the best time of the festival.  After the event starts, we're usually preoccupied with business and can't enjoy visiting with everyone until the day after it all ends.
This year the crowd was great as was the music.  Maybe some of you saw the awesome Balsam Range shows.  They were the 2014 winners of the IBMA's award for Entertainer of the Year and also the Vocal Group of the Year.  Lead singer, Buddy Melton, took home the award for Male Vocalist of the Year, too.  BR has been with us for several years since they first started touring.  We are happy to say that many of the bands who are recognized each year for excellence in their field have performed for you right here on our stage.  
I'm going to post a few photos from our festival here as well as a few from our recent trip to IBMA.  We made the last minute decision to attend IBMA in Raleigh this year right after our festival.    There are photos on our facebook page,Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival, too.  However, the Facebook App has been corrupted on my computer so I can't access it right now.  In the meantime, I will post news here until I can resolve that issue.
Thanks so much to all of you who came to enjoy and support our event.

Here's Ted Lehmann most likely making notes for his blog and YouTube channel.

On Wednesday night we put the Potluck Band in the spotlight for a little pre-festival entertainment. These guys have been jamming in the campground every year.  2014 was their year to have a little light to shine on their talent.

Dumplin Valley received some great attention from our local NBC affiliate, WBIR.  We really appreciate their coverage & PR to spread the word about the great bluegrass experience to be had right here.

In spite of severe health issues this past year, the great storyteller, James King, put on a fine performance.   He is much loved by bluegrassers everywhere.

Joe got to sing with Rhonda Vincent and The Rage.  Rhonda has become a fixture here at Dumplin Valley and this year even had a group of her "Ragers" holding a reunion here.  Let's clear something up here.  Rhonda is the Queen of Bluegrass.  But around here, it is I who is the Queen of Dumplin Valley!!

What a great Friday night crowd.  Our son, Wes, was climbing up the little silo to remove his camera which had been recording the crowd coming in and out of the barn.  That video, as well as one showing festival prep, can be seen over on our Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival Facebook page.

LRB (Lonesome River Band) has closed the show on Saturday night for a few years now.  At least this year they weren't upstaged by the skunk who visited them about 3 years ago.  Thankfully, he didn't spray anyone.  He only wanted to eat someone's popcorn on the floor :)

Balsam Range at IBMA Awards

The Earls of Leicester at IBMA

The crowd at the street festival in Raleigh at IBMA.

Joe is holding a memento from Stage B (a popular campsite here and at other festivals) to show their representation at IBMA.

Here's Sir Walter Raleigh.

IBMA gathering of banjo pickers

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway..............we jumped off I-40 on the way home and found a gentler more picturesque route home from IBMA.

This photo was made from the porch at the Moses Cone house on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  One of my favorite views of all time.  Any time of year is a good time to sit on that porch and take in the vista of the area around Blowing Rock, NC.

Standing on top of the parking garage in Raleigh, we noticed LRB's bus parked below.  I think it looks better in our driveway!

Bluegrass makes everyone want to dance!

Take a look at our Facebook Page to see the time lapse videos of the tents going up and the crowd making a dash for that supper time break.