Sunday, September 12, 2004
Bluegrass Roots: Music fans set up camp early for New Salem festival
From the State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
Music filled the air Wednesday night as campers and others were treated to impromptu jam sessions at Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site.
The 24th annual Traditional Music and Bluegrass Festival starts tonight at New Salem, but musicians and fans began arriving at the park last week.
Ensembles both large and small have been performing throughout the campground in anticipation of the festival. They strum, fiddle, pluck and pick such instruments as acoustic guitar, banjo, upright bass, mandolin, dulcimer, fiddle and steel guitar.
While some people Wednesday were swaying to old-fashioned ballads or singing along with spirited hymns, others were toe tapping to tunes like "Ragtime Annie." Bundled in sweatshirts, jackets and even blankets, they didn't seem to mind the cool evening temperatures.
Joining in on such songs as "Tall Pines," "Red Clay Halo" and "Home Sweet Home" were Stan Smart on the resonator guitar, Nathan Payne and Don Randle on banjos, Terri Randle on bass and Dave Graun on acoustic guitar. Meanwhile, Debbie Woods and Georgia Sinclair harmonized during a rendition of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."
The festival is sponsored by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the New Salem Lincoln League. It is free and open to the public. New Salem is two miles south of Petersburg and about 20 miles north of Springfield on Illinois 97.
Read the article
The State Journal-Register
Music filled the air Wednesday night as campers and others were treated to impromptu jam sessions at Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site.
The 24th annual Traditional Music and Bluegrass Festival starts tonight at New Salem, but musicians and fans began arriving at the park last week.
Ensembles both large and small have been performing throughout the campground in anticipation of the festival. They strum, fiddle, pluck and pick such instruments as acoustic guitar, banjo, upright bass, mandolin, dulcimer, fiddle and steel guitar.
While some people Wednesday were swaying to old-fashioned ballads or singing along with spirited hymns, others were toe tapping to tunes like "Ragtime Annie." Bundled in sweatshirts, jackets and even blankets, they didn't seem to mind the cool evening temperatures.
Joining in on such songs as "Tall Pines," "Red Clay Halo" and "Home Sweet Home" were Stan Smart on the resonator guitar, Nathan Payne and Don Randle on banjos, Terri Randle on bass and Dave Graun on acoustic guitar. Meanwhile, Debbie Woods and Georgia Sinclair harmonized during a rendition of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."
The festival is sponsored by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the New Salem Lincoln League. It is free and open to the public. New Salem is two miles south of Petersburg and about 20 miles north of Springfield on Illinois 97.
Read the article
The State Journal-Register
# posted by Dave Sichak @ 1:21 AM 
