It’s the beginning of February and nearly 60 degrees. Put on some Lonesome River, open the storm windows a crack and I can almost believe it’s the beginning of May; time to air out the tents, make sure the tarps don’t have any holes, start putting together the grocery list, secure a good supply of firewood, and get some new strings for some serious pickin’.

The weather may have fooled my daffodil’s into blooming but not me. Alas, I’m still waiting for the blizzard to end all blizzards, the ice to pile up on the car, and my kids to finally get to build their long awaited snowman.

I think you’re going to be as excited as we are. We welcome back to the stage after a long absence, songwriter and musician extraordinaire, Jim Lauderdale. His new Bluegrass Album, Reason and Rhyme, was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Bluegrass Album. Joining us for the first time are The Roys, a brother-sister duo from Nashville that have received numerous accolades for their high energy, toe-tapping bluegrass and gospel mix.  We are incredibly excited to have these talented musicians joining us for our 39th Festival of the Bluegrass and stayed tuned as we make a few more announcements over the next couple of days!