The venerable Huck Finn Bluegrass Music Festival, held each June in California since 1975, is celebrating their 40th anniversary at the 2016 event, June 10-12.
Run from the start by Don and Barbara Tucker, the festival continued under family control for one year following his passing in 2012. But the task was too large for them to comfortably handle, and Huck Finn has been amicably taken over by the Ontario Convention Center & Visitors Bureau.
The three-day fest has been moved to Ontario and the Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park from its original home in Victorville since 2013. This places them very close to the large Los Angeles metro market, which has a long-held reputation as one of the United States’ biggest music towns.
Since the Visitor’s Bureau has run things at Huck Finn, they have expanded the stage offerings to include both traditional bluegrass and more contemporary jamgrass and Americana artists. They are able to accommodate much larger crowds than in Victorville, with camping space to match.
They have also announced that this year, the Bluegrass Music Education For Kids program will be run in cooperation with the Folk Music Center in nearby Claremont. Teachers at the store will offer 2 days of instruction for children 8-16 at no charge above the festival admission.
Pre-registration for the music camp is required, and forms can be found now online. Classes run from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, followed by a stage performance on Sunday afternoon. Parents may check students in in the morning, and return to pick them up at the conclusion of the day’s sessions.
Classes are offered for fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin, and bass. Class sizes are limited so early registration is suggested.
More details about the kids program can be found online.
As is all necessary information about this year’s festival.
