The 2011 MRBA Old-time Bluegrass Festival will be held at the Lone Rock School, 1112 Three Mile Creek Road, Stevensville, MT on Saturday, April 16. The music starts at noon and goes until 10:00 p.m. Bluegrass bands from Montana, Idaho and Oregon will perform. Space is available for dry camping. Food is available at the festival. Kids in Bluegrass kick off the festival. Admission is $3 for MRBA members and $5 for the general public. Kids 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. Lone Rock School is located about three miles up Three Mile Creek Road which is about half way between Florence and Stevensville off Eastside highway. Look for MRBA and Lone Rock School signs on Eastside Highway.

Don’t forget, the Montana Rockies Bluegrass Association is presenting an evening of bluegrass music on Saturday, March 20th, at the Downtown Dance Collective, 121 West Main Street, Missoula, MT. Two bluegrass bands will play the show. Baba Ganoush, a band with diverse members that find common ground in a love of homegrown music and a wish to share it with a broader audience, will open the show at 8 p.m.. The Bluegrass Coalition, a newly formed group featuring the up-the-creek traditional style of Mike and Tari Conroy and the driving more modern style of Fred and Emily Frank, will play at 9 p.m. Tickets which are available at the door are $10 for the general public, $8 for association members and $6 for students. For more information visit www.mtbluegrass.com or call 777-7028.

Happy New Year to all you bluegrassers! Hope all you First Nighters had a good time – with all the great groups playing, you should have. Pam and I were laid low with the bitterroot crud. My resolution is to play a lot more,not miss a jam session and attend as many festivals as possible. See you down the road.