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Carson Camp & Jim Wyatt
DUNLAP, Tenn. — The Coke Ovens Bluegrass Festival is marking its 23rd year as the Sequatchie Valley Historical Association’s major fundraiser, organizers said.
The group is 25 this year, said Carson Camp, association vice president and historian at the Dunlap Cove Ovens Park and Museum.
“We’ve got a lot of activities,” he said.
The festival celebrates the connection of bluegrass music to the Sequatchie Valley’s coal mining past, Mr. Camp said. People enjoy learning about old times through the music that has relayed those tales for decades.
This year, visitors will be able to walk a short portion of the Trail of Tears near the amphitheater, and the museum will host music and activities inside.
“We’ve got a blacksmith coming this year,” he said. “We usually do not have a lot of crafts. Jamming is what everybody comes for.”
Some of the festival’s best music is heard in impromptu jam sessions as the sun goes down and the air cools, he said.
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Staff Photo by Ben Benton Sequatchie Valley Historical Association members Carson Camp, right, and Bill McKee spray insecticide on the grounds at the Dunlap Coke Oven Park and Museum in preparation for the 23rd annual Dunlap Coke Ovens Bluegrass Festival planned for Friday and Saturday.
Historical association President Jim Wyatt said the festival’s musical schedule has drawn considerable talent.
“We expect a huge crowd this particular trip because we’ve had musical agents actually call to get their bands booked here,” Mr. Wyatt said.
The lineup includes the Cumberland Band, Hilltopper Lew Wamp & Swing Shift, the Lookout Mountain Boys, Between the Lines, the Rigney Family, Cumberland Heart, the Flemings, Clearview, Billy Gaston and Tiffany Rogers.
Coal mining history is told through mountain music, Mr. Wyatt said.
“This valley was isolated for many, many years until (state Highway) 111 got opened up, and these people survived,” he said. “This is about the heritage of those people.”
Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee and previously covered North Georgia education. Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005, first covering Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties and later adding Marion, Grundy and other counties in the northern and western edges of the region to his coverage. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Tenn., a graduate of Bradley Central High School. Benton ...
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