This year’s Bluegrass Festival will take place Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17 at Waterwheel Park.
The bandstand will feature some terrific talent, with Canada’s international bluegrass stars the Spinney Brothers – Alan Spinney (guitar and vocals), Rick Spinney (banjo and vocals), Gary Dalrymple (mandolin) and Terry Poirier (upright bass) – headlining the event in a rare West-Coast appearance.
Their 2014 CD No Borders reached Number One on the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 15 Albums list and, in the same year, their CD Tried & True reached the number one spot for country albums in Holland. The band’s latest CD, Living the Dream quickly entered Billboard’s Top Ten Bluegrass Albums chart.
Other bands include: FarmStrong, from rural Washington; Victoria-based Clover Point Drifters; a collaboration between bluegrass duo Harmony Ridge and Powell River’s Max Pagani (mandolin) and Bill Smith (banjo); and Bluegrass Fever, a five-piece band that features players from Victoria, Port Alberni, Chemainus, and Crofton.
The weekend’s entertainment will be rounded out with a couple of sets from the Song Sisters, featuring popular Island performer Shelley Brown with the great country voice of Tamara Phelan.
Admission to the festival is by donation, with $20 per day suggested, or $30 for the weekend. More information is at chemainusbluegrass.com.