The 2026 Steve Sutton Fest, a two-day music festival honoring the memory of the late Steve Sutton, has announced the inclusion of a Songwriting Workshop Experience to run concurrent with the event, May 8-9.
Managed by the Steve Sutton Memorial Trust, the festival is held as a benefit, with all proceeds going to the Haywood County Schools Foundation, who give music scholarships to students at three local schools: Tuscola High School, Pisgah High School, and Early College. Funds are also donated to Haywood County Junior Appalachian Musicians.
Sutton was a popular western North Carolina banjo and guitar player who died unexpectedly in 2017 at 61 years of age. Known for his skills as a picker, but also for his huge personality and sense of humor, Steve did his musical internship as a member of Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys. He was a part of a number of regional and national touring acts, and lived his life as a professional grasser.
The songwriting workshop will be hosted by award-winning songwriters Donna Ulisse and Rick Stanley, and will run from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day the festival is in session. Only 25 students will be accepted to ensure a manageable class size. Tuition for the class is $250, and includes festival admission.
All events are held at the Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center in Lake Junaluska, NC, a beautiful waterfront location nestled within the Appalachian mountains.
2026 performers include Authentic Unlimited, Red Camel Collective, Alecia Nugent, Molly Johnson & Friends, Upstream Rebellion, Donna Ulisse & Rick Stanley, Whitewater Bluegrass Co., and the acclaimed trio of Dennis Parker, Shawn Lane, and Darren Nicholson.
Full details can be found online.
