Rhonda Vincent & The Rage at Cherokee 2026 – photo © Bill Warren
Summer may not have formally arrived, but the summer bluegrass festival season has officially launched with perfect weather at the Cherokee Bluegrass Festival inside the picturesque Happy Holiday Campground of Cherokee, NC.
Managed by Lorraine Jordan and Allen Dyer, the three-day event began with the pair on stage welcoming all to the annual western North Carolina outdoor festival. Tom Worley, Lorraine’s husband, opened with prayer and led the Pledge of Allegiance followed by everyone singing Will the Circle Be Unbroken.
Sherry Boyd is serving as MC, and Jackson Bethune Music LLC is providing audio with former boss, John Holder of Blue Ridge Sound, taking a break from retirement and running the board.
“What a crowd for a Thursday,” Boyd expressed from the stage.
Allen Dyer of Classic Promotions shared…
“If you ordered the weather today you couldn’t have gotten it any better. Sherry Boyd commands an audience like no other, the bands were all great, Jackson Bethune Sound was amazing, and the energy in the crowd could be felt.
Cherokee is a big family reunion. We have folks in their fifties that have attended since their youth, that still come to this day. We have groups of folks who meet here every year and camp together. The folks at Cherokee look forward to seeing their friends as much as anything else. Cherokee has always been special.”
Thursday’s lineup included performances by Authentic Unlimited, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, Larry Efaw & Bluegrass Mountaineers, and the Edgar Lowdermilk Band along with artist-in-residence, 8-year-old Ren Fulcher of Bloomington, IN, guesting on both Larry Efaw and Edgar Lowdermilk’s second sets. Wally Hughes also fiddled a couple of numbers with Larry.
Rhonda, fresh from playing the Grand Ole Opry the night before, performed two polished, high energy sets. She, in her fitted sequined dress, and the Rage in their matching suits were dressed to impress, and they did just that.
Boyd exclaimed, “The guys are looking good in their summer gray suits!”
Closing out the afternoon and evening performances was IBMA’s Vocal Group of the Year, Authentic Unlimited.
AU guitarist, Colton Baker, shared, “This is a great festival and we are so happy to be a part of it.”
AU’s encore number featured a collaboration with Zack Arnold of Rhonda’s the Rage.
Friday’s show features the Larry Stephenson Band, Nothin’ Fancy, and Retro 78 with Appalachian Road Show closing out the day.
Saturday kicks off with a Native American Show followed by Deeper Shade of Blue, Fast Track, the Darren Nicholson Band, and The Malpass Brothers. Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road will perform both days.
Happy Holiday Campground is located at 1553 Wolf Town Road, Cherokee, NC. For more information call 828-497-9204.
