A new format is planned for this weekend's Coke Ovens Bluegrass Jam-Band Competition and Festival in Dunlap, Tennessee, but it's actually a return to the festival's roots. No stage shows are scheduled; just a Friday night jam session and Saturday's bluegrass band contest.
"When we first started, it was a bluegrass and individual competition," says Ed Brown, a festival coordinator and member of the Sequatchie Valley Historical Association. "We did about 15 years of that, then shifted to concerts."
The Coke Ovens festival is a 33-year tradition in Dunlap on the grounds of Dunlap Coke Ovens Park. It is the main fundraiser for the sponsoring Sequatchie Valley Historical Association, raising funds to maintain the park and museum. The park is located at 350 Mountain View Road in Dunlap.
Music starts Friday night, May 31, with a free, open jam session under the Mule Barn pavilion from 6-10 p.m. CDT. It is open to all bluegrass pickers.
There will be an open jam Saturday at 11 a.m. CDT before the bluegrass band competition begins at 1 p.m. Brown says bands need to have registered by noon that day. Judging will end at 4 p.m., or sooner depending on the number of bands competing. As soon as votes are tallied after the last band's performance, winners will be announced.
Cash prices will be awarded: $1,000 for first place, $600 for second, $400 for third and $300 for fourth.
Bring a lawn chair, set up under a shade tree and enjoy the show.
Admission Saturday is $10 ages 12 and older. Armbands will be issued and required of everyone, including attending musicians. Hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos and drinks will be sold at a concession stand.
Open jamming will follow Saturday's competition. Organizers say no time schedule is set for jamming - just playing until the musicians get tired.
For more information: 423-949-2294 or http://cokeovens.com/festival