WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Miami Valley BrewGrass Festival with the Clay Hess Band, Nightflyer, Big Country Bluegrass, Vintage Ramblers and others.
WHERE: Riverfront Park, 3 N. Miami Ave., Miamisburg.
WHEN: Opens 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.
COST: $15 in advance, $20 day of show.
MORE INFO:
Even a massive rainstorm moving through the region didn’t prevent about 1,000 music fans from attending the inaugural Miami Valley BrewGrass Festival last year.
Event organizer Max Nunery, a multi-instrumentalist for local bluegrass group the Repeating Arms, is hoping to exceed that number with the second annual offering at Riverfront Park in Miamisburg on Saturday, Sept. 17.
“We’re hoping for a bigger turnout this year — but I was really surprised how smoothly it went last year,” Nunery said. “We basically broke even, and that doesn’t often happen with first time gigs. So that was fantastic. It was rough at first because it poured rain until 2 or 3 o’clock and then it just stopped. All kinds of people showed up and it was packed by 5 o’clock.
“The outpouring of support was very humbling too,” he said. “People have been on board to help out in all kinds of way. A lot of my friends and family came out in the morning to stand around in the rain and help set up tents. Everybody showed up that said they would, which was awesome.”
This year’s lineup includes the Hen House Prowlers, the Clay Hess Band, Nightflyer, Big Country Bluegrass and the Vintage Ramblers. Mad River Railroad opens the festival at 11:30 a.m.
“Folk music and Americana music is here to stay,” Nunery said. “It’s been a staple genre since making its mark with the earliest recorded music. There is a really healthy bluegrass community in the Dayton-Cincinnati area and we want the festival to reflect that.
“We’ve got Clay Hess and Nightflyer back again this year,” he said. “They’re good guys and they’re all based out of Cincinnati. They were kind enough to play last year and they worked with me and helped make it happen. They believed in the festival early on so we wanted to have them back in, plus I love them.”
While Nunery is still handling final details for Saturday’s event, he’s already working on next year’s festival.
“I’ve got some great things lined up for next year,” he said. “I’ve got bluegrass legend Larry Sparks on the books already. I just want to make sure we’re successful this year and get things going in the right direction for next year.
“I’ve always had somewhat of a vision of what it could be but it has grown,” Nunery added. “I really want to reflect on bluegrass heritage and education. I’m hoping we will learn a little bit more this year so we can make the festival even better in the future.”
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