May 7th-8th, 2011
Moms, families to enjoy a full weekend of live music and family fun
(Yermo, CA) Mother’s Day weekend at Calico Ghost Town has always been a special time. That’s when the town presents a music-filled weekend of Bluegrass music performances and surrounds it with an array of contests and games and old West gunfight demonstrations. It is an ideal Mother’s Day gift for mom letting her experience a day or an entire weekend filled with live music at the historic silver rush mining town.
Chris Stuart, one of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s most talented performers, will headline this year’s event. A leading bluegrass music singer-songwriter, nine of his songs have made it to the Bluegrass Unlimited top 30 chart with his songs recorded by many top bluegrass artists.
Remember the old singing cowboy like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers or The Sons of the Pioneers? The Tumbling Tumbleweeds are a throwback to those days when a cowboy rode his horse by day and took out his guitar by night singing songs of the west around the campfire. This 5-piece group has been playing since 2005 engaging audiences and preserving the legacy of Western music. You may catch this group adding a little storytelling and a bit of fancy western footwork to their routine.
Mixing blues rock and Celtic sounds, Portland bluegrass music artist, Robert Richter along with singer/songwriter Dana Fontaine will be part of the featured line-up. Richter blends Celtic sounds with blues rock undertones demonstrating his influences by Ry Cooder, Duane Allman and Neil Young. Richter’s new CD “Wildwood Flowers” will be released May 1st.
Also appearing will be some of last year’s favorites: The Mill Creek Boys, Windy Ridge Bluegrass Band, and the perennial favorite, Scott Gates. This year Gates will be playing with his new band Salty Suites.
Bluegrass music’s roots came from England, Ireland and Scotland. Sounds of the jigs and reels played on the fiddle were innate to the developing style. As members of these communities immigrated to the United States, they brought these musical traditions from their homeland with them. Some of them migrated to California mining silver in Calico’s hills in the 1880’s. Bluegrass was influenced by black musicians infusing blues characteristics into the mix and introduced the banjo as an integral component of the sound. But Bluegrass music as a genre officially came on the scene in 1939 with Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys Band.
There is something for everyone at this year’s festival. Children of all ages will have a variety of games and contests in which to participate and crafts to make Mom that special handmade gift she will treasure for years to come. The Sioux Falls Rock Climbing Wall is a new attraction for children ages 6-16. And throughout the weekend gunfight performers will take to the streets demonstrating how things got “settled” in the old West.
General admission for Bluegrass in the Spring Festival is $10 adult; $5 youth (6-15) and free for children under 5 years. Calico Ghost Town offers camping, cabins and bunkhouses. Weekend camping for the Bluegrass in the Spring Festival is $100 for any type – from dry to full hook-up. The price includes festival and town admission for up to six persons per unit. Online reservations may be made at www.sbcountyparks.com. This price does not apply to cabins or bunkhouses. To inquire about renting, call 800-86-CALICO.
Calico Ghost Town is a historic old West mining town that was proclaimed by the State of California as the Official California Silver Rush Ghost Town. It is located 10 miles northeast of Barstow, CA off I-15 at Ghost Town Road exit. Visit www.calicotown.com for the events schedule or call 800-86-CALICO.