By Staff
NILES - Thanks to the Army National Guard, a rock wall has been added to the many activities and events in store for visitors to the Niles Bluegrass Festival this weekend.
Among the 13 bands featured in the Amphitheater is a local Balos Family Singers.
Bands performing throughout the weekend include Twenty Three, Cornmeal, Gold Mine Pickers, Up Hill Climb, Deep Fried Pickle Project, Hardtimes, Schlitz Creek, Wood N' Nickel and Special Consensus.
A workshop tent will be available on Saturday from 12:30 to 6 p.m. with various instruments being featured every half hour.
All day Saturday and Sunday the Bluegrass Festival will feature a picker's tent and anybody with an instrument is welcome to come down and jam.
Also on Saturday and Sunday, workshops will be featured where the public is welcome to bring their instruments, and learn some tricks of the trade from some of this year's performers.
Each workshop focuses on a certain musical specialization, including banjo, guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, and bass. The workshops will open at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, with Leon Lyons, specializing in the dulcimer, and will continue throughout the day.
On Sunday, the workshops begin at 1:00 p.m. with Rick Schopok, holding a playing in jams and groups, and will end with the last workshop beginning at 5:30 p.m., featuring Tres Nugent, specializing in the bass.
Exciting new attractions will be featured at the Bluegrass Festival this year including "a free raffle and camping down at the river so people can bring down their R.V.s", said Majerek. The musical instruments up for grabs at this year's raffle include a guitar and a starter banjo kit that includes a banjo with various accessories. To be entered in the raffle, all you have to do is fill out a questionnaire at the Bluegrass Festival.
The on-site camping, sponsored by Boy Scouts Troop 550, is open to the public. R.V.'s, campers, and tents are all welcome. Other attractions include; Food, arts and crafts, pancake breakfast, kiddie rides, an open jam gospel session, along with many more fun events for the whole family to enjoy!
All performances will contunue rain or shine and admission is free. For more information, visit the festival's website at nilesbluegrass.org.