Break out that fiddle, that washboard and that banjo and get ready for some mountain music.
The Whidbey Island Bluegrass Festival at Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens is from 9 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 in Greenbank.
The day begins with open mic onstage and some free-form jammin’ all around the 10-acre garden grounds.
Event planners welcome everyone to join other musicians for a day of bluegrass to which anyone can bring an instrument, some chairs and their children and join in this musical tradition of playing with the group. Tall trees, beautiful vistas and summer flowers in bloom at Meerkerk are the perfect complement to this traditional American acoustic music.
Three of the region’s best bluegrass bands will perform through the afternoon on the garden’s stage.
The first is Pearly Blue, a Northwest band that specializes in traditional bluegrass music featuring superb picking and sweet harmonizing vocals. Its members are veterans of many top Washington bluegrass bands including the Dunton Sisters, Ohop Valley Boys, Ron Spears & Within Tradition, Skyline Drifters, and The Fossils.
Next onstage will be the Urban Monroes. Fashioned from the heart of tradition and infused with adrenaline, the Urban Monroes’ bluegrass style combines the skills of some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest talent. Fast-paced and highly energetic, the band performs both original and traditional bluegrass with a style and delivery uniquely its own. This band is fast becoming a tradition in contemporary bluegrass.
Finally, Deadwood Revival’s string band is comprised of four extraordinarily talented musicians from four completely different backgrounds coming together to create some of the most honest “feel good” music filled with the spirit of old-time Appalachia, soulful American roots, jam-band improvisation and a good heaping of hootenanny that comes fresh out of the blue mountain grass.
This show is presented by musicians Keith Bowers and Kristi O’Donnell, director of Meerkerk Gardens, as a fundraising benefit for the gardens.
Tickets are $12 for adults; children younger than 16 get in free. Tickets are available online at click here or at the door. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted.
Grilled food and light beverages will be available for purchase. Organizers say visitors should bring a chair, a blanket and a picnic.
