Wide Open Bluegrass street fair schedule announced

The entertainment lineup for the free-to-the-public portion of the Wide Open Bluegrass festival during World of Bluegrass next month in Raleigh has been announced. As we detailed in an earlier article, music will be offered at five different locations on the streets adjacent to the primary hotels and the convention center, which will be closed to vehicular traffic on Friday and Saturday, September 27-28.

All this will occur while the Wide Open Bluegrass festival proper takes place within the convention center itself, and the Red Hat Amphitheater across the street. It will be all bluegrass, all the time, in downtown Raleigh that weekend.

Though sanctioned by the International Bluegrass Music Association and produced with their cooperation, the street fair was organized by the City of Raleigh, the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Pinecone Council of Traditional Music.

Here is the schedule:

Friday, September 27

City Plaza Stage

12:00-12:45 p.m. – Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa
1:15-2:00 p.m. – The Bankesters
2:30-3:15 p.m. – The Spinney Bros
3:45-4:30 p.m. – Newton & Thomas
5:00-5:45 p.m. – Red Wine
6:15-7:15 p.m. – The Kruger Brothers
7:45-9:00 p.m. – The Boxcars
9:30-11:00 p.m. – The SteelDrivers

Martin Street Stage

12:30-1:15 p.m. – Nixon, Blevins & Gage
1:45-2:30 p.m. – Al Batten & The Bluegrass Reunion
3:00-3:45 p.m. – Big Fat Gap
4:15-5:00 p.m. – Bryan Sutton with Courtney Hartman
5:30-6:15 p.m. – Red June
6:45-7:45 p.m. – The Williamson Brothers
8:15-9:15 p.m. – Lou Reid and Carolina
9:45-11:00 p.m. – Balsam Range

Hargett Street Stage

12:15-1:00 p.m. – Old Man Luedecke
1:30-2:15 p.m. – Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys
2:45-3:30 p.m. – Jerron Paxton
4:00-4:45 p.m. – Finnders & Youngberg
5:15-6:00 p.m. – The Stray Birds
6:30-7:30 p.m. – The Honeycutters
8:00-9:15 p.m. – The Steel Wheels
9:45-11:00 p.m. – 23 String Band

Youth Stage

12:00-5:00 p.m. – Regional Junior Appalachian Musicians
5:15-6:00 p.m. – Moore Brothers Band
6:30-7:15 p.m. – Kids on Bluegrass

Dance Tent

12:00-1:00 p.m. – Square Dance with The Southern String Band
6:30-7:30 p.m. – Green Grass Cloggers with Five Points Rounders
7:30-9:00 p.m. – Square Dance with Five Points Rounders, with caller Connie Carringer
9:30-10:30 p.m. – Open Dance with Mel Melton & the Wicked Mojos

Saturday, September 28

City Plaza Stage

12:00-12:45 p.m. – Flatt Lonesome
1:15-2:00 p.m. – Grasstowne
2:30-3:15 p.m. – Reno & Harrell
3:45-4:30 p.m. – Kids on Bluegrass
5:00-5:45 p.m. – Jim Lauderdale
6:15-7:15 p.m. – John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band
7:45-9:00 p.m. – Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
9:30-11:00 p.m. – Chatham County Line

Martin Street Stage

12:30-1:15 p.m. – Iron Mountain Messengers
1:45-2:30 p.m. – Samantha Casey & The Bluegrass Jam
3:00-3:45 p.m. – Tommy Edwards and The Bluegrass Experience
4:15-5:00 p.m. – Si Kahn & Looping Brothers
5:30-6:15 p.m. – Snyder Family Band
6:45-7:45 p.m. – Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time
8:15-9:15 p.m. – Terry Baucom
9:45-11:00 p.m. – Skip Cherryholmes Quintet

Hargett Street Stage

12:15-1:00 p.m. – Henhouse Prowlers
1:30-2:15 p.m. – Erin McDermott
2:45-3:30 p.m. – Barefoot Movement
4:00-4:45 p.m. – Toy Hearts
5:15-6:00 p.m. – Phoebe Hunt
6:30-7:30 p.m. – Missy Raines & The New Hip
8:00-9:15 p.m. – Mipso
9:45-11:00 p.m. – John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band

Youth Stage

12:15-1:00 p.m. – TBA
1:30-2:15 p.m. – The Willis Clan
2:45-3:30 p.m. – Synder Family Band
4:00-4:45 p.m. – Lonesome Meadow
5:15-6:00 p.m. – Vicki Vaughn Band
6:30-7:15 p.m. – Flatt Lonesome

Dance Tent

1:15-3:15 p.m. – Family Square Dance with the Carolina Catbirds, with caller Connie Carringer
3:45-5:00 p.m. – Apple Chill Cloggers with The Kickin Grass Band
5:30-6:30 p.m. – TBA
7:00-8:30 p.m. – Scythian
9:00-10:30 p.m. – Open Dance with Old Habits

Look for more details about the themes and locations of these various stages in our earlier piece.

Also occurring during the street fair is the North Carolina Whole Hog BBQ championship. The sounds and smells will be to die for!