A Great Month of Bluegrass!

The SUMMERGRASS BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL is happening this month! The West Coast’s premier bluegrass festival takes place August 17-20 at the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum in Vista. Here’s a rundown on some of the highlights:

John Moore and his stellar friends will be at Summergrass this year. Photo by David Cupp.

• JOHN MOORE and Friends STUART DUNCAN, RON BLOCK, RICK FARIS, & MISSY RAINES These are some of the finest musicians to ever grace the bluegrass genre.
• DANNY PAISLEY AND SOUTHERN GRASS • HIGH FIDELITY • BREAKING GRASS are also top national acts that will be on the main stage.
• There will also be a collection of top local and regional bands: MohaviSoul • Ol’ Train • Sheri Lee & Blue Heart • Chris Cerna & Bluegrass Republic • Drought Tolerant • Hot October • Philly and the Cheesesteaks • Virtual Strangers • Sweet Tidings Gospel J

There’s lots more at Summergrass too:

Summergrass Kids Camp. Photo by David Cupp.

• Kids Music Camp. A chance for youngsters 6-16 to receive hands-on bluegrass music instruction from some of the Summergrass top stage performers, and to take the mainstage with their teachers for a Sunday performance.
• Lots of dry camping and limited camping with electric access.
• Shop for music instruments sand supplies, and lots more from the Summergrass vendors.
• Instrument raffles. Summergrass will be raffling off top quality instruments.
• Great Food. The Antique Gas and Steam Engine offers up a variety of great food options, including BBQ.

As they say, “but wait—there’s more.” For those who may not want to hear bluegrass music all day, the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum has something for everyone:

• Working Gas and Steam Engine machines and farm equipment from 1850-1950
• A working black smith shop
• A period school house
• A gift Shop
• A small train
• One of the largest weaving collections displays west of the Mississippi.

Still More! Stop by the Thursday Night Pickers Compound in the main Summergrass camping area for jamming with friends old and new and lots more.

Here’s a link to their schedule of activities: www.sandiegobluegrass.org/PDFs/Compound%20schedule.pdf

Does Summergrass sound Interesting? Consider volunteering to earn free Summergrass admission and meet great people. Visit https://summergrass.net/ to see the lineup, for tickets and info, to sign up for Kids Camp, and to register as a volunteer.

COTTON PATCH GOSPEL ON STAGE THIS SUMMER. If you have a hankering for good theater, and you like bluegrass and gospel music, you may want to take in the award-winning Cotton Patch Gospel in Coronado put on by the Lambs Players Theater. It runs through August 20, 2023. Tickets and info here: https://www.lambsplayers.org/cottonpatch-gospel.

Wow—it’s going to be a great month of bluegrass!