Three bluegrass festival strike their opening notes in the area in short order. Each festival features a variation on the idea of bluegrass music, and each also differs mightily in how the festival itself is presented. What follows are brief descriptions of all three events:
Northwest Arkansas Bluegrass Festival
WHEN -- Thursday through Aug. 15
WHERE --Beacon Park, 5 miles north of Harrison on Arkansas 65
COST -- $10 Thursday and Aug. 14; $12 Aug. 15 ; $25 for a three-day pass
INFO -- 870-557-3477 or unashamedgospelbluegrass.org
The bands: Joe Sasser & Friends, The Harmans, Lonesome Road, Unashamed Gospel Bluegrass, Sherman Mountain Boys, more
The experience: The family-friendly bluegrass festival celebrates its 44th year near Harrison starting Thursday. The festival features many acts with gospel elements and several family bands as well. No alcohol or drugs are allowed inside the Beacon Park grounds during the bluegrass festival.
Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival
WHEN -- Thursday through Aug. 15
WHERE --Basin Spring Park & The Auditorium in Eureka Springs
COST -- Basin Park shows free; $20 per night or $35 for The Aud shows on Aug. 14&15
INFO -- eurekasprings.org
The bands: Dragon Masters, Tennessee Gentlemen, Clark Family, Buffalo City Ramblers, Myron Flippin, Cutthroat Montana, more
The experience: The Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival spans three days in two notable Eureka Springs venues: Basin Spring Park and The Auditorium. Festival events begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at the park with a watermelon social sponsored by the city's Advertising and Promotion Commission. Free watermelon and bottled water will be offered, and music is provided courtesy of an open jam session.
Free music continues in the park Aug. 14-15 with a lineup of musicians such as the Clark Family with Bill Nesbitt. Music in the park runs from noon to 5 p.m. both days. After the free music concludes, headlining shows take the stage at 7 p.m. on Aug. 14-15. Admission is $20 for one night or $35 for both. Headliners include many of the acts from the Basin Springs Park stage -- the Clark Family, Tennessee Gentlemen and Dragon Masters -- and several new guests such as Buffalo City Ramblers, Irl Hees and Tim Crouch.
Hillberry Bluegrass Festival
WHEN -- Aug. 20-23
WHERE --The Farm, located on Blue Heron Lane west of Eureka Springs
COST -- $35 for a Saturday-only pass; $65 for a three-day pass
INFO -- hillberryfestival.com
The bands: The Schwag, Rumpke Mountain Boys, Mountain Sprout, Tyrannosaurus Chicken, ClusterPluck, Foley's Van
The experience: The Hillberry Bluegrass Festival debuts in 2015 but comes courtesy of the Deadhead Productions group, which also books the successful Highberry festival. Hillberry is bluegrass music but not in the purely traditional sense. Instead, festival bands play subgenres such as thrashgrass, a high-speed, punk-infused variety of bluegrass. As with all Deadhead Productions events, there's a Grateful Dead element. That's provided at this event by tribute act The Schwag, which will interpret Grateful Dead songs but use a bluegrass theme for each. Camping is allowed in the festival area, which abuts national forest land west of Eureka Springs. Workshops, yoga and vendors will also be available on the festival grounds.
-- Kevin Kinder
NAN What's Up on 08/07/2015