Small crowd toughs out rain, cold for 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival

Henry Snyder, left, and Marcia Winters watch Lone Mountain Band perform during the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival at Ross's Landing on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Inclement weather didn't stop bluegrass fans from attending the 9th edition of the festival, which was named one of the nation's top bluegrass gatherings by Great American Country.
Henry Snyder, left, and Marcia Winters watch Lone Mountain Band perform during the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival at Ross's Landing on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Inclement weather didn't stop bluegrass fans from attending the 9th edition of the festival, which was named one of the nation's top bluegrass gatherings by Great American Country.

Ishmael Sanford didn't expect to be performing on the stage of the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival.

He was invited to play in the Folk School of Chattanooga tent, but when the 12-year-old fiddle phenom was asked, he said yes and ended up on the stage with Fletcher Bright, a member of the legendary Dismembered Tennesseans.

Ishmael doesn't get nervous anymore playing in front of crowds. He's performed at weddings and goes to the Chattanooga Market on Sundays. So playing in such a well-known festival shouldn't be a problem.

Okay, he admitted, he was a little nervous.

"It's a big stage for two people," he chuckled afterward.

Sanford was one of several performers at the annual 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival, which had a small but dedicated crowd of fans who braved the cold and rainy conditions Saturday afternoon. Couples huddled together on camping chairs, some strategically positioning their umbrellas to guard their nachos from the rain.

The Dismembered Tennesseans opened the festival Friday evening and the Travelin' McCourys were the closing act Saturday night.

Will and Casey Fletcher enjoyed the festival last year, so they decided to come back. They also brought their dog, Maggie, with them again. They were sitting around at home and saw a break in the rain, and decided to run down to Ross's Landing to check out the scene.

"And then we got here and it started pouring," Casey Fletcher laughed.

Laura Walker, executive director of the Folk School of Chattanooga, had a tent set up and used it to her advantage. When people would seek shelter from the showers, it gave her organization a chance to spread its name.

Walker explained that children who play instruments are mature for their age. She used Sanford as an example - he said playing the fiddle was like "learning another language" - and that maturity comes from discipline of practicing for hours and hours.

"We've had a lot of people asking about lessons," she said. "We want to make people aware that the folk school is there."

Contact staff writer Evan Hoopfer at ehoopfer@timesfreepress.com or @EvanHooper on Twitter or 423-757-6731.

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