Join Bud in western Howard County Aug. 15-18 for a weekend of music

Hey folks, start marking your calendars because the 2024 Winding Creek Bluegrass Festival is just about here. I know if you have ever attended any of the prior festivals, you want to attend again! If you have not attended any of them, let me tell you, you are missing out!

I recently talked with my good friends, Bob Auth and Duane Davis, and they are gearing up for another festival that I guarantee will satisfy your desire to enjoy great music, great food, and meet and make new friends at an affordable price.

Bob Auth and Duane Davis are program directors for Winding Creek, and in my opinion, they put on a fantastic festival. If my memory serves me correctly, this will be the 14th year for the festival, and over that time span, they have featured 150 bands.

In the Fall of 2010, Bob and Duane rode their motorcycles to the Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Festival. Bob said to Duane, "We could have a festival of our own on our farm.” They had been conducting another major event since 2001, the Koh-Koh-Mah Foster Historical Reenactment, but this was the beginning of the Winding Creek Bluegrass Festival.

Bob and Duane have great senses of humor, and once you meet them, you become family. They go above and beyond what it takes to make the festival a success. They go around during the performances and shake everybody’s hands and say, "Thank you for attending!" I have been to several festivals, and very few times has that happened.

The date of this year's event is August 15-18. The event goes on rain or shine. The emcees are Bob Auth and Duane Davis. The gates will open Aug. 15 at 2 p.m. The gates will open Aug. 16 at noon. The gates will open Aug. 17 at 9 a.m., and the gates will open Aug. 18 with church services at 9 a.m.

For a complete list of performing bands, both local and nationally recognized, a schedule of performances and workshops, and to purchase tickets, visit their website at: http://www.windingcreekmusicfestival.com

There will also be maps and lists of accommodations, and there will also be road signs pointing directions.

I can honestly state that I have been to all but one of these events, and I can’t wait for the next event. You never meet a stranger there, and the people are always willing to assist you in backing your camper, offering coffee and food, and assisting your travel to and from the stage area.

After the performances are over, you get to jam around the campers, and many of the performers will join you, “pickin’ and grinnin.’”

I promise you will most likely see me there, and if you do, don’t be bashful. Walk right up and introduce yourself and shake hands!