JuneFest Coming Soon

Yes, it's getting closer. JuneFest is just around the corner. We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our JuneFestivarians! For us the highlight of any festival is the gathering of our bluegrass friends and acquaintances. The days leading up to the performances are full of last minute duties but also full of opportunities to jam with all you pickers who come ready for some pickin' & grinnin' fun.
Over this past weekend we talked to several people who are planning to attend this year (some for the first time & and some who come every year). And at this time there are still a few campsites available for June. They all have electric and water hookups. The sewer sites are already reserved but the "honeywagon" will come around to pump your tank if needed and there is also a dump station here for your convenience.
For those of you who prefer to "camp" in a hotel, there are plenty of those here, too. The Quality Inn at the I-40 Exit 407 is one of our sponsors and they would be happy to hear from you. Be sure to tell them you are coming here for a special discount. Their phone # is 865-933-1719. There are also several other hotels located on this exit. You can get info on them by contacting the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce. There are also rental cabins in the area as well as more campgrounds just off Highway 66 near Sevierville. The closest campground to us is the Riverside Campground (about 5 miles).
GPS Reminder: If you are going to be approaching us from the East. Do not listen to your GPS if it routes you off another exit. ONLY use Exit 407 on I-40. You will exit onto Hwy. 66; head toward McDonald's & the Cracker Barrel (north side of interstate.....oh...don't stop there unless you are hungry....just keep going.....you can go back there later!); travel 1 & 1/2 miles from Hwy. 66 on East Dumplin Valley Road to the venue at 525 East Dumplin Valley Rd., Kodak 37764.
Hope to see you here in June!

6th Annual Jimbo Whaley Concert

Our friend and staple of the Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festivals, Jimbo Whaley (along with his band,Greenbrier + other guests), will be presenting his 6th Annual Concert in Gatlinburg on April 10. You can find all the information on his website: www.jimbowhaley.com. We never fail to enjoy those shows. They are always entertaining with wonderful music (much of which is original) and there are plenty of familiar faces there. This band brings out lots of folks who are ready for a new festival season to get rolling. And speaking of "rolling"..............we always love hearing his song, M R's Rolling Store. By the way, do you know what a rolling store is? If you don't, ask your parents or your grandparents. It's a little like a Walmart on wheels.
And there are some great songs with a blast from the past theme that are especially appealing to Sevier Countians. But everyone can identify with them as we all have places from the past of which we have fond memories. For me...........it's Remac's Drive In Restaurant(good old steak sandwich basket!) and the Midway Drive In Theater.
If you haven't attended one of these shows in the past, now is a good time to give it a try. Just hop on over to his website for info. We hope to see many of our Dumplin Valley Festivarians there.
M

Is Spring Around The Corner?

Well...............after a couple of beautiful days here in Kodak, we are keeping our fingers crossed that Spring is on it's way. However, it is still March after all and that means that we could have plenty more snow and cold weather. But let's hope that isn't the case this year.
We finally got the website updated last night. I know that a lot of you have been watching to see when we were going to accomplish that. Thanks for your patience. There are still a few items to add to it such as a photo gallery and then the daily schedule for September.
Several of you have been calling to make your reservations and make arrangements for getting tickets. Thanks for letting us hear from you. We enjoy hearing from you and look forward to having you all here in 2010.
Did any of you make it down to see The Ledbetters with Earl Scruggs, Paul Brewster and Lizzy Long last week? I think a lot of you must have been there at Wild Wings as the place was packed. It was a great show. I especially enjoyed hearing Paul sing Kentucky Waltz. And it was a treat to watch Earl do Foggy Mtn. Breakdown. The Ledbetters do regular shows there. Check out their website or facebook page for dates and times.
M

The Big Storm

As I went to sleep last night I was anticipating to wake up to a winter wonderland this morning. But.....NO!! That huge storm heading toward us all but skipped over us and left a little bit of snow and a lot of slush in its wake. All day long we were hearing that we would possibly get a significant snowfall and that I-40 was ground zero for the storm. I guess the operative word there would have been "possibly". Just before turning in I noticed that it was spitting snow, sleeting, raining, snowing big wet flakes, then sleeting, raining, sleeting............you get the idea. Oh, well, I'm sure that there are a lot of local children disappointed today since there isn't a lot of snow. But there are certainly others who are relieved that the weather wasn't too bad. Hopefully, the slushy roads won't freeze tonight. That's so much worse than the snow.
Lots of businesses closed early last night and some may even be closed today. We were looking forward to attending the Hillbilly Ball tonight but it has been postponed to a later date.
If you haven't already noticed take a look at my last post for the latest additions to the lineups for 2010. I still have one more to go and will add it as soon as I get confirmation.
We hope wherever you are that you are warm on this cold day. M

2010 Festival Dates & Bands

As we don't have the website working at the moment, I thought maybe I need to post the dates again for those of you looking for that info.
The dates for JuneFest are June 10-11-12.
The dates for September are 16-17-18.
JuneFest Bands:
JD Crowe
The Travelin' McCourys
Bluegrass Brothers
Paul Williams & The Victory Trio
The Expedition show
Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time
Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain
Barry Scott & Second Wind
Jimbo Whaley & Greenbrier
Jerry Butler & The Blu J's
Balsam Range
Lou Reid & Carolina
The Boxcars
Junior Sisk & Ramblers
September Bands:
Rhonda Vincent & The Rage
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
Lonesome River Band
Balsam Range
Dailey & Vincent
The Grascals
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
James King Band
Darin & Brooke Aldridge
G-2
Brand New Strings
Paul Williams & The Victory Trio
Jimbo Whaley & Greenbrier
Next Best Thing
Shadow Ridge

Upcoming Local Events

Well, it may be cold and we are currently experiencing a wintry mix. But this is a hot week for bluegrass. We started on Saturday with a show at the Pottery House Cafe in Pigeon Forge (also one of our favorite places to eat). The Early Morning Stringdusters and also Brand New Strings performed for the WDVX blueplate special. There was a large crowd in attendance and the entertainment did not disappoint anybody. It was a beautiful day Saturday anyway and everyone's spirits were lifted even more by the great music.
While there, talk turned to the upcoming Tennessee Shines on Wednesday of this week. This week's lineup includes some great talent. If it isn't sold out, check it out.
And there is another event coming up on Jan. 30.............The Hillbilly Ball at the Knoxville Museum of Art. This will be our first time to go. My big dilemma is what to wear. Any suggestions? We will be sure to take photos and post them on the blog. hmmmmm........I wonder if Joe still has those teeth he wore during his surprise appearance with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage last September.
It's been good hearing from our festivarians lately. Several of you have been calling to check on and make your reservations for camping this year. JuneFest will be here before you know it. It's going to be GREAT! Then not long after that will be our 11th Annual September show. Can you believe it will be the 11th one? If the old barn could talk, I'm sure we would be happily entertained by its tales.
M

Random Thoughts.....................

Well, It's rainy and dreary out but at least it isn't freezing anymore! We've had some really cold weather for our neck of the woods. Hopefully, that's gone for now.
For all of you bluegrass fans, there is music to be heard in our local area. There is the upcoming Tennessee Shines with a good lineup this month (info at wdvx.com) as well as local groups playing in various places. The Leadbetters play regularly at Wild Wings (check the schedule before you go...........I think they play on the first Tuesday each month).
We want to congratulate Darin and Brooke Aldridge on the release of their new cd. There is a cd release concert for that project on this coming Friday night in Shelby, NC. You can find out about that at their website.
Unfortunately, it's a little too cold for outdoor festivals here in East Tennessee right now. But it's not too early to be making reservations for upcoming events. We have JuneFest coming up June 10-11-12 followed by our September 17-18-19 show. I know that seems like a long time from now but it will be here before you know it. And if you are planning to camp with us, you need to get those reservations in soon.
We look forward to seeing you all here this year. I'll try to keep you updated on the happenings here in Kodak. You can also find us on Facebook on our Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival fan page.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti at this time.