Bill Monroe Bean Blossom Bluegrass and Uncle Pen Festival
Bill Monroe Bean Blossom Bluegrass and Uncle Pen Festival
Sept. 17 – Sept. 25
The annual Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival traditionally held in June is being combined with the annual Uncle Pen Fest for nine days of bluegrass music. This year the festival begins on Friday, September 17 and continues daily through Saturday, September 25.
Bluegrass music has been a staple at Bill Monroe Music Park and Campground in Bean Blossom, Indiana. The history of the park dates back to 1941 when the Brown County Jamboree was held under a tent on Sunday evenings. The spirit and the music of Bill Monroe lives on each year during the largest running bluegrass festival in the world.
Bluegrass legends Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers; Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass; Junior Sisk; Larry Stephenson; Larry Efaw & the Bluegrass Mountaineers; Rickey Wasson; Ralph Stanley II & the Clinch Mountain Boys; and Larry Cordle will entertain bluegrass lovers.
Bluegrass favorites The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys; Kenny and Amanda Smith; Dale Ann Bradley Trio; The Grascals; Williamson Branch; Steve Thomas & The Time Machine; The Farm Hands; The Roe Family Singers; Bobby & Teddy Cyrus; Lindley Creek; Miss Megan and Luke McKnight; and Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road will also be performing.
Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. courtesy photo
Larry Sparks. courtesy photo
New to the festival this year will be the addition of local and regional bluegrass performers Flat Broke; The Grasshounds; Hoosier Tradition; Mountain Laurel; Cedar Grove; Deeper Shade of Blue; Blue Flame; Southern Wind; The Hammer & The Hatchet; Open Highway Bluegrass Band; Bannister Family Bluegrass; Alex Leach Band; and Not Too Bad Bluegrass Band.
Each year a committee nominates and selects a noted bluegrass performer to be inducted into the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame which is in the park’ s Bill Monroe Museum. This year two people will be inducted,“ Stringbean” David Akeman and Ricky Skaggs. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 25 at 8 p. m. on the main stage.
The Bean Dinner, an annual favorite free to all attendees, will be held on Tuesday, September 20.
Tickets are available in advance or at the gate. Three types of tickets are available for this year’ s Bean Blossom Bluegrass & Uncle Pen Festival: 9-Day pass, 4-Day pass, and Single-Day tickets. Onsite camping is available for primitive tents, and RV sites with electric and water are there for big rigs and all types of campers, vans, and buses.
Bill Monroe Music Park is pet friendly, you can bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and coolers. Parking is free, gates open at 10 daily.
Visit < BillMonoreMusicPark. com > for a complete schedule and ticket information. Bill Monroe Music Park & Campground is located at 5163 N. State Road 135, seven miles north of Nashville, in Brown County, Indiana.( 812) 988-6422 < info @ billmonroemusicpark. com >. •
42 Our Brown County Sept./ Oct. 2021