Kevin Prater Band at the 2025 Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival – photo © Bill Warren
Larry and Lisa Efaw took over management of the Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival several years ago. It is held in Grange Park in Centre Hall, PA – aka, Happy Valley. Mother Nature can be sweet as pie or mean as a snake in Happy Valley. Wednesday saw a bit of both!
The Kevin Prater Band kicked off the show. Two songs in a sudden thunderstorm hit with very strong wind gusts. It passed quickly but drowned the sound equipment that Dale Perry had set up temporarily for the afternoon shows. Kevin came back and completed a fantastic set without sound reinforcement.
The sound crew arrived and had the show back on track by 6:00 p.m. Danny Paisley and Fast Track did short sets and the program was on schedule by seven. A beautiful rainbow arched over the stage during Danny’s short set.
Kevin came back for a full evening set that wowed the crowd. Prater has over 40 years of stage experience and can handle any situation.
Danny then put on a full set of his Southern Grass music, always a crowd favorite. He invited 13-year-old banjo player, Jerry Ankney to pick a couple tunes with the band. He is a talented youngster.
Fast Track closed out the day’s show with a rousing set. These guys are seasoned musicians who have seen and done it all.
There are three more days of top-notch bluegrass music to come. It is a big lineup. Join us!
Support your local music venues.
