Tracy Evans & Riverbend at the 2026 Backwoods Bluegrass Fay Fest – photo © Bill Warren
Backwoods Bluegrass Fay Fest is a festival that needs to be experienced. Both Sammy Adkins and Kevin Prater describe it as feeling like “festivals used to be.” Cheryl and Lonnie Smith have created a genuinely nice “out-of-the-way” venue. Their place is set up for dry camping and serves the area community with several events throughout the year. Festival goers are welcomed by Smith family members at Backwoods Gatherings in Michigan. This is the 6th year of the bluegrass festival honoring Fay’s memory.
Dreyden Gordon MCed the show, along with playing a couple of sets with his band.
Kevin Prater and Larry Cadle handled the sound equipment along with playing all three days.
The Michigan Bluegrass Band opened all three days. Seventeen-year-old Gavin Conley has been on stage with his granddad since he was a toddler. He is now an accomplished musician playing guitar, banjo, and mandolin.
Harbourtown played two sets on Friday. Dalton Smith filled in on mandolin for them. Jennifer Zapolnik and Dana Cupp both stepped in on vocal parts.
Sammy Adkins & the Sandy Hook Mountain Boys are a staple of the festival. He played Friday and Saturday. He was joined for songs by Dreyden Gordon and Kevin Prater. Sammy is an alum of the Clinch Mountain Boys.
Dave Adkins & Mountain Soul are a festival favorite. Dave is a bigger-than-life figure that captivates his audience. He and Kevin have been friends for many years, so there were several interactions between the two from the stage to the sound booth. Dave would say “Hey Kevin, do you remember…?” Kevin’s answer was always a short “Nope!”
Tracy Evans & Riverbend are a constant at Fay Fest. He honors the memory of his father along with some of his own music.
Dreyden Gordon brought his band back on Saturday. He presented a straight ahead, traditional bluegrass show.
Breakin’ Strings played the festival two years ago and returned this year. They do traditional bluegrass with a contemporary spin. This is a high energy group from Maine.
The Kevin Prater Band played all three days. Their Saturday night performance was particularly special. Dalton Smith played his final show with the band as he has taken a full-time gig in Pigeon Forge. His final show was a tribute to James King and his music. Kevin relayed stories of his twelve or thirteen years with James. The band sang all of the familiar songs. Tracy Evans joined them to reprise a song that King and Dave Evans did together. It was a memorable set of music that may never be duplicated. Kevin thanked Dalton for the past three years in the band and wished him the best in his next gig.
Next year’s Fay Fest begins on September 30 and runs through October 3, 2027.
See you in Croswell, Michigan next year.
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