Bluegrass & Folk Festival Returns to Cartersville in October

Staff Report

Cartersville Downtown Development Authority and Main Street Program will hold its second annual Cartersville Bluegrass & Folk Festival next month.

The festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct 18 in downtown Cartersville. Last year’s inaugural event featured 13 bands on two stages, a Kids’ Corner and drew more than 2,000 attendees.

The 2014 event “is sure to be bigger and better,” as outside vendors are being sought, the time has been extended to 9 p.m., and the lineup features local, regional and even nationally known artists, the agency said.

The event is free of charge to attend.

“It was amazing to see the final product come together last year when we held the first Cartersville Bluegrass & Folk Festival,” said Cartersville DDA/Main Street Manager Tara Currier. “It took months of preparation, as any event this size certainly would, and overall was a great success. We wanted to start fairly ‘small’ in our first year, limiting the number of vendors and the time of the event. We are excited to grow the festival this year, both in terms of outside participation, and hopefully crowd numbers with such a full schedule of events throughout the day.”

This year’s festival will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Musical entertainment will kick off on the main stage with Scarlet Wool Band (formerly known as Purely Acoustic).

Held in Friendship Plaza next to the train depot, the Main Stage will feature a different band every hour on the half hour as follows:

• 12:30 p.m. – Luther’s Mountain Band
• 1:30 p.m. – Max and Maggie
• 2:30 p.m. Grass Backardz
• 3:30 p.m. – Old Mill Road Band
• 4:30 p.m. – Cherokee Cutups

The headliner for the main stage will feature The Little Roy and Lizzy Show.

Little Roy, of the legendary Lewis Family, has won numerous awards as entertainer for his banjo playing. Lizzy Long has also been recognized for her strong vocals and fiddle playing. The duo performs all over the country, entertaining audiences with the variety of string instruments they can each play, storytelling and harmonizing.

Located in the bay area of the former fire station, the Firehouse Stage, sponsored by Cohutta Fishing Company, will feature a different band at the top of each hour beginning at noon with Rick Mckee.

Additional performers include: Natalie Goodwin at 1 p.m. Fish & Picks at 2 p.m.; Jamie Henderson & Friends at 3 p.m.; Windfall at 4 p.m.; and the Firehouse Stage Headliner, Rolling Nowhere, performs at 7 p.m.

Born in the north Georgia hills and defying current genre classification, Rolling Nowhere has been described as a Psychedelic Junkyard Roots band with a sound that evolves with every show. Their sound combines Classic Country, Old Timey Folk, Blues Roots and Psychedelic Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Offering plenty of fun for the kids again this year, the Kids’ Corner, sponsored by Coosa Valley Credit Union, will feature bounce houses, fountain fishing, face painting, coloring activities, and more. Kids’ activities will be available from noon to 5 p.m.

If businesses or individuals are interested in getting involved with the event, sponsors of all levels and volunteers are greatly needed to ensure the success of the Second Annual Cartersville Bluegrass & Folk Festival.

For more information, visit event’s website or by call 770-607-3480.

(Photo credit: Cartersville Downtown Development Authority)