4th Annual Blue Grass Music Festival

It’s hard to believe, but 2016 will mark the fourth year of the Blue Grass Valley Music Festival. Event organizers Melissa Moyers and Erica Whitelaw provided more information on this year’s festivities.

Ms. Moyers: “We are here talking about the upcoming Blue Grass valley Music festival that’s going to be held on the weekend of August 12^th -14^th. The line-up this year includes 12 bands, all from different parts of Virginia, Austin, TX and North Carolina. From Austin, TX we have Whisky Shivers, and they’ll be on Friday night. We have Big Daddy Love coming from North Carolina, and they’ll be our Saturday night headliner. And then we have some other local bands – Rare Gold will be there again – they come every year.

“Sunday’s just going to be an open mic/open stage kind of day, so anyone that wants to come, a band, if you just have an instrument that you play, and want to come take the stage, then that’s our plan for Sunday.

“On Saturday morning of the Festival, from 11:00 to 3:00, we have a farmers’ market, so we try to showcase things from Highland County – local honey, local maple syrup, different fruits and vegetables, local meat. Lots more vendors this year, lots more arts and crafts vendors, and then we have about five food vendors, plus the home-made ice cream guy is coming back again.

“We’ll have a kids’ parade on Saturday evening. We’ll have a kids area – our kids’ area, all the activities are free of charge, we do have it staffed with volunteers, and they plan different activities through the day. The kids’ area is open from 12:00 – 8:00 pm each day.”

Ms. Whitelaw talked about the intent of the Festival, and the people who make it possible.

“Melissa and I are really pleased with how everything’s been going. We had started the festival to promote the beauty of Highland County, and the talent that we have here, musically and otherwise, and we believe that over the last three years that this has been accomplished.

“We are so pleased with the amount of local support and enthusiasm that this Festival has brought to the county. We have had so much support from the bands and the businesses in the community, as far as trading sponsorships with us, to help us put this on. The volunteers, we couldn’t do it without them – we are still accepting volunteer applications.

“Some sponsors this year, and they have been so generous in so many ways – this year we have Three Notch’d Brewery, from Harrisonburg and Charlottesville – they’re coming, and they are going to provide the craft beer. Polytone Design, they do so much, they go above and beyond. And Bill Bratton Enterprises with the tents – somehow, with all the weddings and all the auctions going on, he still finds tents to bring down and set up for us.”

“Our festival is still a small scale festival, and we enjoy that. We are glad that it’s reasonably priced and it’s family friendly. Children 13 and under are free. Our festival prices are $65 for a weekend pass; it’s $30 for all day Friday; and it’s $40 for all day Saturday, and you can add camping to that for just an extra $10 for a regular site, or $20 for an RV site.”

She also provided an endorsement from local celebrity Bo Folks.

“One of the things that put a smile on my face this year was to have him come up to me at the 4^th of July parade in Blue Grass, and say “You know, I’m really looking forward to this year’s Blue Grass valley Music Festival. I’ve really enjoyed that, and I’ve got my chair ready to sit up front and center to listen to these bands.” And then he asked me what bands he would enjoy – I told him maybe Whisky Shivers would get him up dancing.”

Seeing Bo Folks dancing is a bargain at any price.

For more information, visit the Festival webpage at www.bgvmusicfestival.com.