By By TOM MAJEREK / Special to the Niles Daily Star
NILES – Music lovers are ready for the Fifth Annual Niles Bluegrass Festival to begin tonight.
Niles is celebrating its fifth annual Niles Bluegrass Festival Thursday, May 31 through Sunday, June 3. This event is becoming one of the best regional music festivals in the Midwest. It's because of our community, our beauty, the low cost, wide range of music, the caliber of talent we bring to our stages, the fact that we offer camping, the arts and crafts and the great food we offer.
There are many things that make this festival so special. The main reason is that the community of Niles and its people are special. Everyone that comes to our festival is impressed with the beauty of our area and the accommodating people who live and work here. There are few festivals in the United States that has a more scenic venue than the Niles Riverfront Park.
The Niles Bluegrass Festival is a free festival for everyone who attends. This allows everyone to come down to the park and enjoy what's happening. Whether you are an avid fan of music or just want to spend the day enjoying the event with friends and family it is there for you at no cost. Many festivals do not get the crowds we do because people are not sure they will enjoy the music enough to pay admission. We want to education our community on the various styles of traditional music, so offering for free makes perfect sense. Many people are surprised at how much they enjoy different music when they are actually exposed to it. We plan on keeping the Niles festival free forever.
We offer two stages of music, a workshop tent and a pickers tent for attendees to enjoy. Whether you enjoy listening or playing music, we got it all for you. We offer different styles of music on our two stages so people have an option of what to hear. While one stage may have the more traditional style of bluegrass, another may offer some rockin' bluegrass. There are many styles of acoustic music, and we try to bring it all to Niles. We offer a workshop tent for musicians to get some tips from the professional players when they are not on stage. This is very popular and it allows fans an opportunity to get to know the musicians. We also offer a Pickers tent for musicians to bring there own instruments and jam with old friends and make some new ones. Many musicians have met others that keep in touch all year long.
Niles offers some of the best opportunities for people to enjoy music, whether they play or listen.
Niles brings some of the top talent to its concert events. This year our Headliner is Micheal Cleveland and Flamekeeper featuring Audie Blaylock, and fans will be amazed at the level of musicianship they bring to the Amphitheater. Hit and Run Bluegrass is coming into town from Colorado and Jypsi from Nashville. There will also be some past Niles favorites like Cornmeal, Special Consensus and Twenty Three. Most bluegrass fans are amazed at the level of talent we bring to our stage free of charge.
Last year, we began on-site camping for those who are traveling or just want to spend a night on the banks of the St. Joseph River.
The Campsite is managed by the local Boy Scout troop and admission to the campground is just a $25 donation to the scouts. It's a great way for them to earn some funds for Summer camp and they keep the site clean and safe.
Many people love the Arts and craft vendors at the fest. Shoppers can enjoy some unique items in between great musical acts. The food is another aspect of the festival people enjoy. Whether it's eating kettle corn or having dinner at the Friday Night Optimist Pasta Dinner, there are plenty of choices to pick from. We also have rides and games for the youngsters and the young at heart to enjoy.
It's Events like the Niles Bluegrass Festival that make Niles special and its Niles that makes this one of the best festivals in the Midwest.
For more information go to www.nilesbluegrass.com