Fairs and Festivals | Genuine Kentucky

Homeplace Pickin’ Party at Land Between the Lakes 2019

May 26, 2019 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

There’s going to be a Pickin’ Party at the Homeplace and you’re invited!

Philip Steinmetz, great nephew of Grandpa Jones, is among the artists scheduled to perform at this year’s Pickin’ Party. Given his musical roots, he’s ideal for this annual musical celebration of Old Time Music!

Did you know that Louis Marshall “Grandpa” Jones was born in Niagra, Kentucky?

The Pickin’ Party will take place at the Homeplace 1850s Working Farm (4512 The Trace in the Land Between the Lakes) on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9, 2019 from 10 am to 5:30 pm. Special admission price for the day is $7 for ages 13 and up and $5 for ages 5-12. Admission includes entry to the farm and doors open at 9 am.

From the Land Between the Lakes:

Enjoy the best in Old Time Music as it echoes through the hills, hollows and the river valleys of the Homeplace. Old Time Music represents the oral traditions of our ancestors brought with them from the old world, then changed to reflect experiences in their new homeland. Today Old Time Music is our connection to the past; we can hear their voices telling stories of hardships, sorrows and celebrations of good times.

Bring your banjo, guitar, fiddle or harmonica and join in on the fun during open mic and the jamming sessions. Take a stroll around the farm and visit with the farm family and the farm animals about their daily work and enjoy daily programs throughout the farm. Festival food will be available for purchase. Bring lawn chairs or ground blankets.

Artists scheduled to perform include:

Phillip Steinmetz, great nephew of Grandpa Jones
Fret-less banjo picker and blues guitar performer Mark Dvorak
Paducah’s own Wheelhouse Rousters
21st anniversary Pickin Party performance of Dixie Volunteers String Band
Common Thread, talented women who perform old time favorites
Nathan Blake Lynn and Josh Coffey return as masters of ceremonies

Sponsors for the event are Kentucky Machine & Engineering, Inc. Cadiz, Kentucky; Lake Barkley State Resort Park, Cadiz, Kentucky; and WKMS, Murray, Kentucky.

Other programming includes:

Saturday, June 8
1-3 pm – Strong as an Ox
1 -3 pm – Get Your Homeplace “Driver’s” License
3:30 pm – Piggin’ Party
Sunday, June 9
1– 3 pm – Sweet Jamming at the Single Pen
1– 3 pm – Game of Graces

Fourth grade students can go to https://everykidinapark.gov/ to receive a free Every Kid in a Park pass, and get their family in for free. For more information, call the Homeplace at 931.232.6457 .

2015 Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Music Celebration

September 15, 2015 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Celebration 2015

Keeping Bluegrass Music Alive and Rocking!

Excitement is building for the 2015 Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Music Celebration that’ll begin in just a matter of hours.

The annual celebration, which began in 2001, honors traditional Bluegrass music, as well as the “Father of Bluegrass,” himself, Bill Monroe. Generations of Bluegrass fans use festivals and celebrations such as Jerusalem Ridge to introduce future generations to music many Kentuckians consider “ours.”

Campbell Mercer, producer and promoter of the event, credits hundreds of volunteers who are donating their time and effort to preserve Bluegrass music.

“We try to make it as traditional as possible, as close as to the way it was when Bill Monroe was growing up in this area.” – Campbell Mercer

The festival is at Mercer’s farm (near Monroe’s birthplace) at 5520 U.S. 62.

The music festival used to be held in the fall, but this year is being moved up to Wednesday through Sunday (September 16 – September 20).

From the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer:

This is the second year there will be an open microphone for bands or single acts on the opening day of the festival. Square dancing is returning Saturday on the main stage.

On Sunday after the usual graveside church service at Rosine Cemetery, there will be Church in the Wild on the main stage at the festival grounds.

“The fellow that officiates that church service grew up with Bill Monroe,” Mercer said. “So that’s living history.”

There will be some new bands coming in this year, as well as traditional bluegrass, old time folk music, or mountain music.

Performances start at noon Wednesday, 10 a.m. on Thursday, 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon on Sunday, rain or shine.

About 35 bands are scheduled this year including Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers, Larry Gillis and his Hard Driving Swamp Grass Band, The Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show, Becky and the Butler County Boys, Alan Sibley and the Magnolia Ramblers, King’s Highway, Annabelle Watts, and more. – Bobbie Hayse, Messenger-Inquirer

For more information, including ticket prices (children under 12 are free), visit Jerusalem Ridge Festival or call 270-315-5151

Did You Know? The Jerusalem Ridge Festival is a A USA Today Top Ten Bluegrass Event!

17th Annual Pickin’ Party at The Homeplace in the Land Between the Lakes

June 2, 2015 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Picture yourself kicked back listening to bluegrass music at The Homeplace!

It’s almost time for the 17th Annual Pickin’ Party Old-time Music Festival at The Homeplace. The fun and music will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 13th and 14th (2015) from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. Doors open at 9:30.

Most families just make a day of it and many come back both days! Relax under a shade tree and hear bluegrass, string bands, folk music, finger picking, and more.

From The Homeplace:

Stroll through our historic buildings and gardens and visit with staff as music lofts in the background. Fun activities planned for the kids and jam sessions for the adults, so bring your banjo, guitar, fiddle, harmonica, or other instruments to play! Bring lawn chairs, ground blankets, and picnics to relax under a shade tree. A food vendor will be onsite. Mandolin maker Mike Holmes will be on site working his craft. Mike learned furniture making from his grandfather, but creating hand-carved mandolins with a mature and balanced bluegrass sound feeds his passion. Stop by and see his works of art!

Admission:

13 years and older: $7
5 through 12 years: $5
4 and under enter free

{Continued beneath the musicians from a Pickin’ Party in the past!}

Saturday, June 13
10-10:45am ~ Dixie Volunteers
10:45-11:30am ~ Mark Dvorak
11:30am-12:15pm ~ Wheelhouse Rousters
12:15-1pm ~ Roan Mountain Hilltoppers
1-1:15pm ~ Open Mic
1:15-2pm ~ Common Thread
2-2:45pm ~ Dixie Volunteers
2:45-3:30pm ~ Mark Dvorak
3:30-3:45pm ~ Open Mic
3:45-4:30pm ~ Wheelhouse Rousters
4:30-5:15pm ~ Mark Dvorak
5:15-5:30pm ~ Sing-a-long!
Sunday, June 14
10-10:45am ~ Dixie Volunteers
10:45-11:30am ~ Mark Dvorak
11:30am-12:15pm ~ JD Wilkes and the Jamboree
12:15-1pm ~ Roan Mountain Hilltoppers
1-1:15pm ~ Open Mic
1:15-2pm ~ Common Thread
2-2:45pm ~ Dixie Volunteers
2:45-3:30pm ~ Mark Dvorak
3:30-3:45pm ~ Open Mic
3:45-4:30pm ~ Roan Mountain Hilltopers
4:30-5:15pm ~ JD Wilkes and the Jamboree
5:15-5:30pm ~ “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”
Children’s Activities
Ox Barn Yard
1pm and 3pm
Kids can enjoy old-fashioned fun!
Jamming Sessions
Tool Barn
Join the performers and other musicians.
Bring your instruments.
Sit back and enjoy the music!

See you there!

More 1850’s Homeplace on Genuine Kentucky:

Butterfly on Zinnia at The Homeplace Land Between the Lakes

Pine Mountain State Resort Park: The Hills Will Be Alive With Music!

September 8, 2014 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

The Beautiful Pine Mountain State Resort Park Lodge

Although this event has expired, there is always something to see and do in Kentucky. Visit our Kentucky Events page for up to the minute happenings and be sure to check out our Things to Do in Kentucky page. Keep an eye out for information on Genuine Kentucky about the 2015 Dulcimer Convention!

If you’re presented with ANY reason whatsoever to visit Pine Mountain State Resort Park, you should jump at the chance. This is one of the most scenic and gorgeous places in the entire country. It’s beautiful, year round, but when you’re there in Autumn, you simply do not want to leave.

If you love music – especially bluegrass music, the information below will give you a perfect chance to visit this incredibly beautiful Kentucky State Park.

Dulcimer players from far and near will gather Sept. 26-27 at Pine Mountain State Resort Park at Pineville for a music festival devoted to dulcimers – the 2014 Great American Dulcimer Convention.

The Appalachian dulcimer is a sweet-sounding string instrument played on the lap. Similarly named but unrelated is the many-stringed hammered dulcimer, which dates back to ancient times. Both types are spotlighted in the convention’s concerts by professional musicians and in workshops, open stage opportunities and jams open to all.

This year’s returning performers include Kentuckians Anne MacFie, a songwriter and balladeer, who organizes the festival; and multi-instrumentalist Randy Wilson, as well as mountain dulcimer champion Gary Gallier of Springfield, Missouri. Making their first performance at Pine Mountain are Steve and Ruth Smith, a hammered dulcimer-banjo duo from North Carolina; Square Thirteen, an Ohio band featuring the mountain dulcimer of Laura Elder; and from Rhode Island, Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly, a husband/wife duo excelling in singing, folk dancing and playing an array of instruments.

Convention activities begin with an 8 p.m. Friday evening (Sept. 26) concert by all six acts. Saturday morning (Sept. 27), the performers teach mountain and hammered dulcimer classes at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Afternoon activities include a group jam, open stage for dulcimer players, learning workshops and informal performances. The event winds up with a Saturday evening concert.

Information about tickets, lodging, dining and a special GADC weekend package from Pine Mountain State Resort Park is available by logging onto the park’s website: http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/pine-mountain/default.aspx or calling 800-325-1712. More information on the festival can be found at: http://americandulcimerconvention.com

About Pine Mountain State Resort Park

The park has a 30-room lodge, cottages and a full-service restaurant. It also has a golf course and other recreational opportunities for guests. Pine Mountain State Resort Park is located south of Pineville, on U.S. 25E, 10 miles north of Middlesboro.

See more pictures of Pine Mountain State Resort Park in our photo galleries! People (me, included) throw the words “breathtakingly beautiful” around pretty loosely, but Pine Mountain and Pine Mountain State Resort Park serve as reminder what the words really mean.

Owensboro BBQ festival 2012: Day 1

May 12, 2012 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Fried Pickle Spears and Lemonade at the Owensboro BBQ Festival – these pickles are DELICIOUS!!!

Owensboro’s BBQ Festival isn’t just popular – it’s insanely popular! I’m always amazed by the number of people who flock to our great city this time each year. Face it, everyone loves BBQ and everyone loves fun. The city of Owensboro loves for her neighbor’s to visit, so this is a time of year everyone loves.

If you haven’t been to the BBQ Festival yet this year, what are you waiting for?!?! Old Hickory should have their booth set up today – you’ll want to check out the best BBQ in Owensboro.

For more information about the BBQ Festival (including a schedule of events), click HERE.

The pictures in this post were taken by my beautiful youngest daughter, Stephany. Enjoy!