Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers at Camp Springs Music Park – photo © G. Nicholas Hancock
Campers lined in rows filled the once open fields of the restored Blue Grass Park in Camp Springs for the Labor Day Weekend Festival near Reidsville, NC. Promoters, Cody and Donna Johnson, have worked miracles to bring the iconic festival grounds back from the wilderness of years laying dormant, to a park that is even better than the original, historically promoted by Carlton Haney, that opened in 1969. It is the site of the first bluegrass festival ever held in North Carolina, and the filming location of the 1971 Bluegrass Country Soul movie.
The weather was picture-perfect with blue skies and temperatures in the lower 80s, a rare break from the extreme heat often felt in this area over the holiday weekend.
The three-day event kicked off Thursday with the Johnsons’ pastor, Jason Simmons, of Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, with an opening prayer. Then MC, Cindy Baucom, of Knee-Deep in Bluegrass, sang the national anthem with the audience joining in.
The first performance was by the Biscuit Eaters, a family band from Low Gap, NC. With Mama Meredith on guitar and Papa Jason on upright bass, the group featured their five children, ranging in age from 7-16. And yes, if you’re wondering, they love to eat biscuits, and Mama Meredith is indeed a biscuit maker. The siblings consist of Sam on mandolin, Josiah on banjo, Maggie on guitar, Silas on fiddle, with Maggie joining in on fiddle on several tunes and adding a little flat-footing.
They were followed by Ralph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain Boys, with Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers closing out the evening.
The stage is especially meaningful to Ralph II as his father, Dr. Ralph Stanley, played Camp Springs fifty-plus years ago with a young Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley by his side as part of the Clinch Mountain Boys.
Ralph II expressed from stage, “It is so good to be here. There is so much history here.”
Joe Mullins was also appreciative. “I’ve never been to this park. I’m grateful to Cody for doing all this work. It’s a blessing to bring the Radio Ramblers to Camp Springs.”
Cindy closed out the night by saying, “It’s been a great Thursday to start our Labor Day weekend. What a wonderful way to wrap up the first day.”
The picking continued into the wee hours of the morning as jams popped up throughout the campsites.
Friday’s show includes Cutter & Cash, Kenny & Amanda Smith, and Carson Peters & Iron Mountain. Saturday features Starlett & Big John, the Lonesome River Band, and an extended evening performance by Dailey & Vincent.
Excellent stage audio and lighting is managed by Jackson Bethune Music LLC.
For tickets and information, visit Camp Springs online. Camp Springs Blue Grass Park is located at 540 Boone Road in Elon, NC.
