Originally posted to the web in News, on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 11:48 AM CST.
29th Bluegrass Festival this weekend
By Patti Jares, Staff Writer
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| Mike Wallace, chairman of Wickenburg’s bluegrass festival for 13 years |
Grab your guitars and fiddles, because it’s time for bluegrass!
The 29th Annual Four Corner States Bluegrass Festival and Fiddle Championship is coming to Wickenburg this weekend (Nov. 14-16), at the Everett Bowman Rodeo Grounds beginning Friday at 11 a.m. through Sunday, 5:30 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce, and sponsored in part by The Mandolin Store on West Wickenburg Way.
“I’m very excited,” said Festival Chairman Mike Wallace. “We have more modifications at the rodeo grounds - some cover over the bleachers and an increase in the number of vendors. We’ll have everything from giant turkey legs to kettle corn - everything you’ll want to get.”
Wallace is also excited about the bands that will be featured this year. Nationally known Rhonda Vincent & The Rage will perform Friday and Saturday (Nov. 14-15) evenings at 7 p.m. at the Del E. Webb Center For the Performing Arts, at 1090 South Vulture Mine Road, and at the festival Saturday at 3 p.m.
The three featured bands Wallace chose for the festival are Flint Hill Special, High Plains Tradition and Midnight Flight.
The award winning Flint Hill Special band is from Spring Valley, Ariz., and a favorite at the festival.
“Glenn Wilbourn (band member) supported this festival since the beginning,” acknowledged Wallace. “They’re a great band.”
High Plains Traditions is “an exciting group,” according to Wallace, from the Colorado Springs - Denver area.
The Missouri band “Midnight Flight” will also be a big hit. Last year, Midnight Flight won the 2007 Midwest Traditional Bluegrass Band of the Year Award, by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA), the second consecutive SPBGMA award for the band.
They entertain in Wickenburg for the first time.
A “one-mic” band, Midnight Flight shows good old-fashioned talent, according to Wallace.
“When you have one microphone, you have to know how to move in and out around the mic,” said Wallace. “It’s entertaining to watch a good single-mic band.”
In addition to the music, the festival offers a lot to do for adults and children, with arts and crafts exhibits, great food and drinks and a kid’s zone.
Gates open at 11 a.m. on Friday, with entertainment from 1 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday gates open at 7 a.m. Entertainment starts at 9 until 5:30 p.m.
With 13 competitive events, there will be more than $6,500 in cash prizes. Dennis and Cathy Vance of The Mandolin Store have donated a $4,000 mandolin for the first-place winner in the Mandolin Contest.
“They’ve (Dennis and Cathy) jumped right in and helped out like they did last year,” said Wallace, who has been festival chairman for 13 years. “And once again there’s a great group of volunteers. You can’t put on something like this without volunteers, but it’s easy when you have good people helping out.”
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