Williamson Branch showing out at World of Bluegrass 2026 – photo © Bill Warren
For the Bluegrass Today bunch the World of Bluegrass kicked off Tuesday morning in the media room. There are five of us gathering content. Well, we actually started Sunday with a chat group discussing various aspects of the week, along with suggestions from John Lawless. John is directing traffic from his home base this year. We gathered and discussed what functions we would each cover. That was pretty well outlined and then the discussion turned to more mundane things – David’s new pole barn and the novel concept of parking a car in the garage. Sandy’s book. Elizabeth’s bluegrass crossword puzzles.
That conversation got me thinking – what is the World of Bluegrass??
We all know that it is several days of speeches, band showcases, constituency meetings, business meetings, and various award functions.
But what else is it??
It is that mundane conversation in the media room. Catching up on the simple things. It is this crowd in the hallways shaking hands and hugging necks. It is reconnecting with friends one may not have seen in a year. It’s laughing with friends about things that happened last week at a festival. It is the coming together of this big, diverse family that for a few days basks in one another’s company.
As important and necessary as the formal functions are, the informal get togethers and visits may be even more important.
Welcome to the World of Bluegrass. Enjoy our friends – old and new!
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