Bobbi and Don Day at the 2023 July Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival,
with new owners, Aaron and Amy McDaris – photo by Tammy Harman
The Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival, once managed by Don and Bobbie Day on their family farm in Conway, MO, has been purchased by banjo player Aaron McDaris, of Rhonda Vincent & the Rage.
After the 2022 festival season, the Day family felt compelled to end things on a high note, and decided to close their longtime festival. After learning the news, Aaron approached the Days about taking the helm and maintaining the same level of integrity and entertainment.
McDaris tells us the first time he was there, at age 13, he was hooked. “I loved everything: the bands, camping, jamming, and meeting new friends,” he says.
Since we first reported that the Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival would undergo a change in management in July 2023, things have gone exceptionally well. This last weekend at the 50th Annual Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, McDaris accepted the award for Bluegrass Promoter of the Year.
“We’re excited about our 40th anniversary festival season at Starvy Creek,” says McDaris. “We’re pleased and excited to announce that we’ve been able to purchase the festival park, and we plan to keep the festival going for as long as we can.”
The upcoming July and September festivals promise to increase involvement from festival attendees as well. McDaris plans to incorporate several new activities designed to encourage youth in bluegrass at a place where he, too, was inspired to play music as a youngster.
I attended this festival for the first time in 2024, and was thoroughly impressed. Starvy Creek is one of the best festivals in the nation, and it looks like it will only continue to improve. Congratulations to the McDaris family!
For more information about Starvy Creek and the upcoming festivals, please visit the festival online.
