The Kody Norris Show at the Camp Springs Labor Day Bluegrass Festival – photo © G. Nicholas Hancock
Rows of campers filled the once-open fields of the restored Blue Grass Park in Camp Springs for the Labor Day Blue Grass 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, promoted by Carlton Haney, which originally opened in 1969.
It is the site of the first bluegrass festival ever held in North Carolina and the location of the 1971 Bluegrass Country Soul movie which was shown Wednesday night for early arrivers. It was truly magical to watch a movie that was filmed at that exact location 55 years prior with all the great first generation bluegrass performers.
The weather was hot, but the music was hotter. The three-day event kicked off Thursday with the Johnsons’ pastor, Jason Simmons of Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, with an opening prayer. He was followed by the festival MC, Cindy Baucom of Knee-Deep in Bluegrass, who sang the national anthem, with much of the audience joining in.
“Here at Camp Springs, we honor God and country,” Baucom stressed.
The musical entertainment began with a rising South Carolina teen group, Creekwater Collective. The band consisted of 17-year-old JonPaul Sepulveda on guitar, 15-year-old Judson Stone on mandolin, and 15-year-old Ethan Chappell on bass, with Ethan’s big brother, 17-year-old Ayden, on banjo. Their lone female, guitarist Lilly Anne, was unable to attend.
They were followed by the versatile Little Roy & Lizzy Show. Their four-member ensemble brought an arsenal of musical instruments to the stage as each member switched out numerous times.
Little Roy played at Camp Springs in the ’70s with his siblings, the Lewis Family, and shared a bit about that legacy. The 84-year-old talked about the significance of the festival site. “It was going on here before I was here.”
He related a humorous tale of a streaker running across the stage and jumping off, only to be injured from the steep fall. Then Little Roy recalled, “Roy Acuff sung on this stage and sang this song.” Holger Olesen switched from bass to dobro and launched into Wabash Cannonball.
The first day concluded with the Kody Norris Show. Kody was playing Jimmy Martin’s guitar with Martin’s name on the neck, and told of a two-record set that the group is working on which pays tribute to Martin’s music. The project will include many of the past surviving Sunny Mountain Boys. One is dobroist, David Nance. Kody invited him to the stage and David belted out a Jimmy Martin classic, Fraulein.
Once the stage show ended, the picking continued into the wee hours of the morning as jams popped up throughout the campsites.
Friday’s show includes Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, the Will Clark Band, the Camp Springs Bluegrass Band, and Wildwood Drive. It concludes with an extended performance by The Grascals.
Saturday features Authentic Unlimited, Lonesome River Band, Junior SIsk, Bay’s Mountain Cut-ups, and the Brothers Young.
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, Elon, NC.
