Nearly Time For Camping and Jamming

The last time I posted about the camp out and jam in May was back in January. So, now that E. TN has survived the Winter and we are enjoying the early days of Spring I thought it appropriate to remind you about an exciting weekend coming up.
On May 13 and 14 there will be a gathering of pickers here to enjoy a weekend of camping and jamming with old friends as well as new ones. Since there will be no official show going on that weekend there will be no charge except for the regular camping fees (all those are listed in the January post). We won't have a curfew or quiet time during that weekend for campers. So, pack up your gear and come prepared for a fun weekend spent with other lovers of bluegrass. Our campground is open 24/7 year round.
Also, there is going to be a fundraiser for our friend, Phil Leadbetter, who has recently been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. That event is scheduled for June 4. I don't have all the info for that yet, but if you are planning to attend and want to camp, you will need to make reservations. I'll post all the pertinent info as I get it.

Updated 2011 Flyer

OOPS! I guess haven't been sticking to my New Year's Resolution, have I? That road paved with good intentions probably encircles the earth at least a dozen times. Well, I guess I can make a new start here and now.
We had omitted a couple of things on the flyer and changed the phone numbers for the lodging. The number listed is for the local office of the Sevierville Chamber which is located here in Kodak. They will be happy to give you lodging suggestions. There are several major chain hotels located 1 1/2 - 2 miles of us at Exit 407 on I-40. Be sure to let them know you are coming to the festival when you call to make your reservations.
Once again Freddy Smith will be the MC here at Dumplin Valley. Everybody loves Freddy and it's always fun having him on stage. The lineup is a stellar one and the performances will be enhanced by the talent of the sound crew which is headed up by Gene Daniell.
I suppose this would be a good time to remind those of you who intend to camp this year that you need to get your reservations in soon as we are down to a small number of available sites at this time.
Also, we want to mention that one of our friends (and most likely one of yours, too) Phil Leadbetter has been diagnosed with lymphoma. And in an effort to help his family with medical expenses, some of his friends are organizing a couple of benefits that will be coming up soon. The first one is going to be at Buddy's Bar-B-Que in Knoxville on May 6. And the next one will be here on June 4. Mike Kelly has all that information. You can get that information on his Facebook Page and probably on the WDVX website. I will post more information here as it becomes finalized. I don't have any details about tickets, etc. You'll have to get that from Mike. Phil has been an integral part of the bluegrass world since his early involvement as a teenager. And he has a reputation for helping others when they are in need. So let's show him some good old East TN love by being there for him. He has brought a lot of "dobro joy" to many people throughout the world and we want to share some of that joy with him.
Random thoughts: I don't know about you, but Joe and I are ready for winter to be over. Lately it's been spring one day and winter the next. Enough already!
Lately, I have been able to get my bluegrass "fix" by attending a couple of concerts. The first one was Jimbo Whaley & Friends in Pigeon Forge. It was a great show held in the Country Tonight Theater. We were treated to Ginger Whaley making her singing debut as well as being entertained by Turner and Olivia Whaley (Jimbo's children). I predict that one day there will be a Whaley Family Theater in Pigeon Forge with all the talent in that group. It's always good to be able to attend these shows as I get to visit with a lot of our bluegrass friends as well as old acquaintances. The second concert we attended was just last night at Carter High School where Rhonda Vincent & The Rage played a benefit show for the Carter softball team. The auditorium in that facility is a good place for an event like that. There was a good crowd with people from all over East Tn in attendance. There was even a lady who came from Norway to see this show. Rhonda & her band performed some songs from her new cd as well as several old ones and a couple of requests. excuse me......RHONDA! If you are reading this............those shoes you wore last night were fabulous. When you get tired of them, you know where I live.......
Seriously, the festival season is upon us and now is the time to start making plans to get out and attend a festival in your area. Support your local bluegrass band ;) and if you will..........help us get the word out about Dumplin Valley.
Thanks for checking in on my blog. Leave a comment once in a while. Hope to see you along the bluegrass trail! m

2011 Flyer

Here it is..............the 2011 version of our flyer. I hope to publish the showtimes on our website soon. Then you will have most all the info you need to plan an exciting festival weekend.
We hope to see you all here in September and hope that you will enjoy the group of talented musicians/entertainers we have lined up for your pleasure. I must say that I look forward to the warm weather September brings as we have had an exceptionally cold winter so far. We're hearing that "s" word in the forecast again. Just last week I went to Denver to visit my daughter & son-in-law and it was warmer there than here. Even though there was a blizzard in the mountains during my brief visit, the weather in the metro Denver area was great. It was so pleasant the morning I returned home, I left my coat there! ha I sure did need it when we landed in Knoxville (cold, drizzly and very cloudy). Oh, well, I'll get it sooner or later.
Many of you know that I have been working on a book the past few months. And I am glad to say that I have finally turned everything in and look forward to seeing the finished product. I hope you all will enjoy it. It will be available for sale during the festival if not before. If it is a success, I may try it again.
I wonder if I could prevail upon some of you to help me find some good reliable vendors to enhance our event. That is one of the hardest things to get lined up. If you are out and about and find someone who has something interesting to offer and you think our crowd would support them, have that vendor contact us. Thanks.
Well, that's about all I have to offer at this time. I am going to do my best to keep this blog up to date in 2011. We hope you will visit our facebook page for ongoing news and also the website for info (I have it on good authority that it is in the process of being updated). Until later, m

Picking & Grinning Weekend

One of the most enjoyable aspects of our festival is all of the activity that flourishes in the campground. That is where you will find the hard core pickers & grinners who pick from the time they awaken until the wee hours. And it is this particular activity that Joe and I are usually too busy to enjoy much during festival week. So, with all that in mind, we are going to be designating the weekend of May 13-14, 2011 for a time to pick & grin in our campground. The campground will be open as usual for any and all travelers seeking a good spot to spend the night. It will just have the added attraction of groups of bluegrass lovers picking into the night. Since announcing the dates this week, we've heard from several of our picking buddies who are planning to join us that weekend. Reservations will only be necessary if you want a particular spot. And the usual overnight campground rates will apply: Nightly rates---30 amp - $25 + tax; 50 amp (limited) - $30 + tax. Don't come expecting the full blown festival atmosphere as there will be no scheduled stage shows or vendors on site. This is just an opportunity to go camping and be able to make the music you love with your friends. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate but if it should be rainy there is plenty of room under roof for picking. We hope to see you here in May. And we hope to see you in September for our 12th festival. Also, keep in mind that our campground is open 24/7 and we are happy to see you whenever you want to come to Dumplin Valley.

Hello 2011

I don't know about everyone else, but I am so glad to see a brand new year. 2010 will not be one of the years that I will remember fondly. Let's hope that 2011 will be a year of good health, peace & prosperity.
How many of you have already broken the New Year's Resolution you made a couple of days ago?? I'm doing good so far but I didn't make one that was too hard.
2011 is off to a pretty good start here on the farm. We have our flyer ready to print (thanks Matt); saw a good movie yesterday (True Grit); ushered in the New Year with good friends; people are beginning to build houses again; I "fixed" my treadmill (don't ask); I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for my book project; I'm enjoying a newly organized closet (thanks Julie); and it looks like I'm going to have time to read a couple of good books.
I'm hoping to complete one of the items on my "bucket list" this year. Can't say which one yet. Don't want to jinx my chances.
On to BLUEGRASS.............with a fresh and exciting lineup, we expect to have an excellent festival this year and look forward to meeting new attendees here at Dumplin Valley as well as welcoming back our bluegrass friends.
I am going to make a better effort this year to get out and see more bluegrass shows as there are several good opportunities throughout the winter for indoor events and then the early spring festivals will fire up. I hope that you will also have an opportunity to get out and enjoy many of the outstanding musicians on the road or in your own hometown. You know.......there are a lot of good venues to choose from. Let's all get out and support bluegrass whether it's a local group or one of those bands racking up miles of blacktop to bring you some enjoyment.
Happy 2011. m

Snowy Silos

Standing stately and tall as sentries these old silos have weathered many seasons including Christmases and bluegrass festivals. Every year I say I want to decorate the silos. But so far we haven't come up with a good plan. Maybe one of you can make a suggestion for next year. I've always wanted to place a star on top of one but it would take a ladder much longer than any of ours to accomplish that feat. Maybe we could enlist the help of our local electric co-op.
As you can see from the photos posted here, we have a decent blanket of snow covering the farm today. Yesterday was a lovely snowy day, too. It was the answer to many prayers for a white Christmas. According to the local weather stations, 1969 was the last year we had a decent snowfall on Christmas.
Oh, my.....1969......what a year. I wonder how many of you remember 1969. It was quite a year for us....both happy and sad. It was the year that we graduated from high school; Joe's mother passed away; we started college; Joe began service in the Air National Guard and spent Christmas Day in basic training (what a way to end that year). In 1969 we actually used telephones to talk to people..............not send texts, check e-mail or take photos. And the word "blog" didn't exist in 1969 as far as I know. I suppose I would have thought it to be an alien from "outer space" or something as space exploration was on everyone's mind then. That was the year that Neil Armstrong took his walk on the moon. Now that was quite a spectacle on a little black & white tv.
In 1969 the closest thing I had to a computer was a manual typewriter with that little bell that dinged at the end of each row. ha ha Boy! Have things ever changed!!?! I wonder what kind of changes the upcoming year of 2011 will have in store for us. Let's hope it will be a healthy, prosperous & peaceful year for everyone.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! The holidays are upon us and I haven't even updated this blog since early fall much less done all my preparations for Christmas. Oh, well - my intentions were good. I guess life just interrupted them a bit.
We have been busy trying to finalize the 2011 lineup and I am happy to say that the mission has been accomplished. Many of the bands scheduled to appear have new projects coming up. Some will be here for the first time and some will be returning to Dumplin Valley where they always receive a warm welcome from the audience. Joe and I studied the surveys filled out by September's crowd and used many of the suggestions to influence our choice of bands. Thank you to all who filled out one of those surveys. They really do give us some insight as to your preferences. We try our best to offer you a quality event. Having said all that I should list the bands so you can make plans to join us September 15-16-17, 2011.
Thursday, Sept. 15 will be the day you can enjoy: Paul Williams, Monroeville, Darrell Webb Band, The Little Roy & Lizzy Show.
Friday, Sept. 16 belongs to: Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Lou Reid & Carolina, The Quebe Sisters Band, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Jimbo Whaley & Greenbrier.
Saturday, Sept. 17 wraps up the weekend with: Dailey & Vincent, Balsam Range, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Jerry Butler & the Blu-J's, Bluegrass Brothers.
This past year has been a good year overall for the bluegrass community. There are so many talented people out there who are receiving some well deserved recognition and attention for their musical accomplishments. I think this is seen in the airplay that many dj's are giving them on stations other than just the bluegrass stations. We have noticed some of the big country stations playing more bluegrass artist's songs and that is great! Around here you can count on WDVX's Freddy Smith and Mike Kelly to serve up your bluegrass diet. And they do an excellent job of it!
I would also like to mention that 2010 brought many new people to Dumplin Valley. Some came from as far away as the Netherlands; some came back again from the UK (Hi, Barry & Geraldine); some came from New Hampshire (Hi, Ted & Irene)and many more came from all over the USA. We look forward to having you all here again this year plus meeting a bunch of new bluegrass friends.
We are taking reservations for camping and have availability at this time. If you are interested in joining us in 2011, please give us a call (865-397-7942).
I don't know about you but I can hardly believe that 2011 is going to be here in just a few days! 2010 sure did go by quickly.
Our wish for you is that 2011 brings you a blessed year of good health, happiness, prosperity, peace and love.
I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions but this year I am going to resolve to be more attentive to this blog and not wait months on end between postings. Maybe this is a resolution I can keep. At least it doesn't involve me being on a diet!