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Inaugural Fall Forever Bluegrass Festival begins

Lonesome River Band, whose vocalist Jesse Smathers just won the 2017 International Bluegrass Music Association's Momentum Vocalist of the Year Award, will play at Fall Forever Bluegrass Festival at 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday. Lonesome River Band, whose vocalist Jesse Smathers just won the 2017 International Bluegrass Music Association's Momentum Vocalist of the Year Award, will play at Fall Forever Bluegrass Festival at 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday.

By Susan Pierce November 2, 2017 2 min read

If you go

› What: Fall Forever Bluegrass Festival› Where: Mountain Cove Farms, 838 Dougherty Gap Road, Chickamauga, Ga.› When: 5-9 p.m. today, Nov. 2; noon-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3; 1-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4› Admission: $20 today, $30 Friday, $35 Saturday, $85 for three-day pass› For more information: 706-820-2228

Growing up in Walker County, Ga., Cindy Pinion’s dad, Thomas “Boxcar” Pinion, had a standing gig playing in the house band at the Tennessee Valley Playhouse. The late Boxcar Pinion loved bluegrass music and played for many years with the band Tom and Newell and the Grasscutters.

“The Playhouse was located right down the road from Mountain Cove Farm,” says Cindy Pinion. “As a child I went to the Playhouse every weekend. I saw Porter Wagoner there before he was playing with Dolly Parton. Country stars came down every Saturday night from Nashville to play music there.”

Now Pinion is bringing bluegrass music back to Walker County.

She is expanding the spring Forever Bluegrass Festival, which she established in memory of her father at Raccoon Mountain Campground, and launching a new fall festival this weekend at Mountain Cove Farm. Concerts will be held in the historic Show Barn at the farm.