Carl Junction Bluegrass Festival has 10 bands lined up for 25th anniversary

Kevin McClintock, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·3 min read

Sep. 2—CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Time to get your bluegrass on.

The Carl Junction Bluegrass Festival is set for another go during the last weekend in September, its 25th year. There are numerous family-friendly activities taking place during the two-day festival, but at its core "it is all about the live music," said Cavanaugh Studyvin, executive director of the Carl Junction Area Chamber of Commerce.

"It is the driving point of our festival. There are actually quite a few bluegrass festivals in the country, but we are the biggest and longest-running in the Southwest Missouri area," she said.

Ten bands will perform on Friday, Sept. 23, and Saturday, Sept. 24, she said.

"Some are local and some are traveling from the St. Louis or Ozarks area," Studyvin said. "The bands consist of family members, longtime friends and musicians of all ages."

Red Bridge will perform at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at Carl Junction Bulldog Stadium. Nine bands will perform throughout Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Center Creek Park Pavilion, one band per hour: Pickers Post Band, 9 a.m.; Redings Mill Road, 10 a.m.; Spillwater Drive, 11 a.m.; Route 3, noon; Berry Wynn & Fly By Nite, 1 p.m.; Po' Anna, 2 p.m.; Borderline, 3 p.m.; Finley River Boys, 4 p.m.; and That Dalton Gang, 5 p.m. Each band will play a set lasting 40 to 45 minutes.

Each of the bands is familiar to bluegrass fans, but there likely are a few that local folks may not recognize, Studyvin said.

"Po' Anna played at our Jamboree Friday night last year — you may recognize them in Branson since they play at Silver Dollar City quite a bit," Studyvin said. "More local favorites like Pickers' Post Band, Borderline, Finley River Boys are all returning this year. That Dalton Gang will be closing out our festival — they haven't been at our festival in many years, and we are so excited to see them return for the 25th anniversary."

Bluegrass is a hugely popular musical genre, a style of music that developed during the 1940s in Alabama and Georgia from old-time string music, spreading north. It's traditionally played on acoustic instruments.

"Last year was our first time performing at the Carl Junction Bluegrass Festival; many of us in the band had attended over the years, but it was the first time we performed there, and it did not disappoint," said Doug Clifton with Route 3.

He described the festival as a "fantastic family-friendly event" and one "you definitely don't want to miss."

The crowd, he said, "seems to love bluegrass music."

Last year's festival drew 13,000 people by 1 p.m. on Saturday, Studyvin said. The pandemic wiped out the 2020 festival, "so I think we had remarkable turnout (last year) because this festival is so loved and a tradition for a lot of folks."

This year, because it's the 25th anniversary, "we are expecting at least 13,000, if not more, because we're celebrating a big birthday," she continued.

The festival is free and open to the public. Aside from the live music, there will be 60 arts and crafts vendors, a beer garden, 18 food trucks and a kids' area with a petting zoo and a bounce house.

"My hopes are that every single attendee has a wonderful time," she said. "I love that all these (guests) get to experience Carl Junction and explore our little city."

Details: carljunctioncc.com/bluegrass-festival.