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Event/Site:
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Bluegrass
Festival at the FarmPark in Denton
Date: Mother's Day Weekend in May,
Thursday, Friday and Saturday Noon - 11:30pm;
Sunday 9:00am church service
Type: Weekend festival, featuring
national and regional bluegrass and gospel musicians,
at a museum-park with old-time machinery and farm
equipment, exhibits, craft and food vendors.
Location: The Denton FarmPark is
located at 1072 Cranford Road, west of NC Hwy 109
just south of Denton, NC. Click
here for a map.
Cost: 3-days advance
$70, at gate $80; 2-days advance $55, at gate $60;
one-day at gate $25 for Thursday, $30 for Friday and Saturday. Camping $12/night with water and electric
hook-up. Children under 15 with a parent are
free; youth 15-17 with a parent are half price.
Parking: Free. Parking adequate for
bus tours.
Special Needs Access: Venue is fully accessible.
Signage: Signs at location and en
route.
Sponsor: Denton FarmPark
Web Site:
www.threshers.com
www.doylelawson.com
Contact:
Karen Miller
Denton FarmPark
1366 Jim Elliott Road
Denton, NC 27239
(336) 859-2755; (336) 859-2567 (fax);
managers@threshers.com
Description of Event: The 2003 Doyle
Lawson & Quicksilver Bluegrass Festival at the
FarmPark brings together bluegrass greats such as Doyle Lawson
& Quicksilver, Rhonda Vincent, II Time Out, Lonesome
River Band and Mac Wiseman - an impressive line-up
that highlights the influence that the state and the
region have had on bluegrass music. Doyle Lawson is
a big name in the world of bluegrass music. In 1999,
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver was voted both Traditional
and Overall Gospel Group of the Year by the Society
for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music. The Doyle
Lawson & Quicksilver sound, emphasizing smooth,
intricate vocal harmonies, innovative song arrangements,
and stunning instrumental work, served as a model
for countless progressive bands of the 1980s and 90s.
History of Site/Event: In 1981, Doyle
Lawson started his namesake bluegrass gospel festival
at the FarmPark to be a family-friendly alternative
to larger and rowdier festivals. The festival has
kept its strong gospel center and attracts in excess
of 5,000 bluegrass and gospel fans each year.
Description of Site/Facility: Formerly
the Denton Airport, the Denton Farmpark is a 100-acre
museum park with pastures and meadows; exhibit building;
covered music pavilion; and a variety of restored
old buildings, including a country store, post office,
and blacksmith shop; bath and restroom facilities;
food and refreshment buildings; camping areas; a significant
collection of antique farm machinery; and a working
steam locomotive on the 1.5 mile Handy Dandy Railroad.
Significance of Site/Event to the Community: At
the annual FarmPark Bluegrass Music Festival, the
list of headliners with North Carolina origins demonstrates
the influence the state and region continue to have
on the national bluegrass scene. The strong ties that
bind the state and region to bluegrass music are also
apparent in the crowds that converge in Denton over
the Mother's Day weekend each year. The countless
regional masters of bluegrass instrumentation and
vocal harmonies, as well as bluegrass gospel quartet
singing, form the bedrock standard that gives rise
to homegrown national players. Many of these regional
masters come out to welcome fellow musicians and enthusiasts
back "home", to do a little picking and
singing, and to socialize with each other.
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