Tag: Bluegrass in Super Class

The 30th annual Bluegrass in Super Class saw its first year at a new location. Previously held at the French Quarter Holiday Inn, in Perrysburg, Ohio, it was moved this year to the beautiful Maumee Bay Lodge State Park due to the closing of the Holiday Inn. Maumee Bay Lodge sits right on Lake Erie, and spectators had a beautiful view of the lake while watching the tremendous stage shows. The lodge has an open-air foyer with fireplaces throughout. Jamming filled the entrance the entire weekend. The rooms were absolutely beautiful and accommodating and offered walk-outs to the exterior. Fun activities for all ages, the lodge offers a full size pool, hot tub, game room, and play room for kids.

This was the first year Bluegrass in Super Class offered stage shows on Thursday. Hershel Blevins and South 79, Kyle Jarvis and 3rd generation, and Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys all put on great shows.

Friday brought the Jesse Alexander band, Ottawa County Bluegrass, Harbourtown, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, and Jeff Parker & Co. Jeff also made an appearance on local channel 11 WTOL in Toledo performing live on the news network.

Saturday brought in Remington Ryde, Caney Creek, Dean Osborne, house band Larry Efaw and the Bluegrass Mountaineers, and Rhonda Vincent & The Rage. Sparky Sandra Day, Karen Billings and many others flooded social media with live videos and pictures! This weekend also happened to be my newborn grandson’s first bluegrass festival. At one month old, Karter had a great time!

Larry and Lisa Efaw and the whole family bent over backwards to make sure attendees were taken care of and had a great time. The lodge presents a beautiful dining area right on the lake, and offered prime rib dinner Saturday night which was outstanding. The Icebreaker Lounge also set up a sound system and offered open mic for any jamming bands that wanted to play after stage shows were done.

Special kudos to Dave and Tracy Chichester of GBS sound, who did an outstanding job all weekend.

Flyers were distributed for next year’s Bluegrass in Super class for the same weekend in January. Larry and Lisa also teamed up with the American Brain Tumor Association, and through a silent raffle with gift baskets, were able to donate to a young lady suffering with brain cancer.

Great job Larry and Lisa and everyone involved! Make plans to attend next year!

For 29 years, the Holiday Inn French quarter in Perrysburg Ohio has been the meeting ground for bluegrassers in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and everywhere for that matter. The January bluegrass weekend known as the Bluegrass in Super Class Winterfest show will have a new venue next year. The hotel, built in 1967, has announced it will be shutting its doors forever later this year. Started in 1991 by Robert White and Fred Ellis, and taken over by Larry Efaw and his wife, Lisa, after Roberts passing, the show has been a place for people to gather and watch the best in bluegrass, and also relieve some cabin fever in the middle of winter. From Bill Monroe to Ralph Stanley to Del Mccoury and the Lewis Family, almost everyone has performed at this venue over the last 29 years.

I’ve been fortunate enough to attend every one of these shows since 1991, and got a chance to talk to some of the employees who had been there since the hotel’s opening. Over the years, the hotel had hosted many presidential campaigns, including Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and served as a landmark in the community for the enormous swimming pool and water slides that locals would come and enjoy in the winter.

The show will be moved in 2020 to the Maumee Bay Lodge, just northeast of the current location about 20 minutes away. My wife and I drove up Saturday morning to check out the new facility. It will be the perfect setting for a winter Bluegrass show. The grand ballroom sits right on the edge of Lake Erie with a panoramic view from where the show will be held. Rooms, accommodations, restaurants, and a lounge, also are top-notch.

This weekend saw a host of great bands at Winterfest. Larry Efaw and the Bluegrass Mountaineers, Caney Creek, Ottawa County Bluegrass, Harbortown, Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain boys, Rhonda Vincent, and a host of other bands hit the stage for a great weekend of music and fellowship. The entire hotel was packed with jam sessions everywhere. Bluegrass has grown by leaps and bounds in the Ohio area in the last few years, and Larry Efaw is committed to keeping Bluegrass in Super Class alive and well. His dedication to the music has allowed promoters to come to the show and advertise for festivals coming up in the summer. For that we thank him.

Anyone who might be interested in attending next year please contact Larry Efaw at 330-645-1542, or visit Larry’s Facebook page.

Thanks again to Larry and Lisa Efaw for a wonderful weekend. If you have not been to the Bluegrass in Super Class Winterfest show, make plans to attend next year!