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| Rhonda Vincent |
From bluegrass stars to blue ribbon sauces, Silver Dollar City’s Bluegrass & BBQ showcases the best in roots music and outdoor grilling, all at the Midwest’s largest bluegrass festival May 12 through June 3, 2007. “With headliners like Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent, Cherryholmes and the Grascals, we have some of the top bluegrass bands in the country performing for our guests," said D.A. Callaway of Silver Dollar City Entertainment. “But we also feature those up and coming bands like Steep Canyon Rangers, who will be the next stars in bluegrass music.” With over 50 bands and one thousand performances during the festival, Bluegrass & BBQ is one of the country’s biggest bluegrass festivals. Click here for schedule of performances.
Not to be outdone in numbers, the House of BBQ serves up 40,000 pounds of slow-smoked, sumptuous barbecue, as a custom-made 9-foot smoker and large outdoor grills send the aromas of the feast throughout the city. Choices include pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken and beef brisket, but don’t expect the meats slathered in sauce.
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| 40,000 pounds of sumptuous BBQ cooked one delicious pound at a time! |
“We use some dry rubs and slow smoking for optimum flavor and tenderizing, then let our guests choose the sauce,” said SDC’s barbecue expert Sam Hedrick. With options including Texas smoky chipotle, Kansas City sweet hickory, honey habanera and Carolina vinegar or mustard-based sauces, “everyone can enjoy a favorite sauce, or discover a new one," Hedrick said. Tasting begins on the Square with hundreds of barbecue sauces from around the country, including blue ribbon winners.
Bluegrass legend and 12-time Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs performs in a special concert May 27, headlining a lineup of featured bluegrass performers including seven-time International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year and Grammy nominee Rhonda Vincent, described as the “Queen of Bluegrass” by the Wall Street Journal.
Also featured are 2006 IBMA Entertainer of the Year and Grammy nominees The Grascals, 2005 IBMA Entertainer of the Year Cherryholmes, 2006 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year Steep Canyon Rangers, and 2007 Dove Award winners The Lewis Family. With the quality and quantity of bluegrass bands featured, “Silver Dollar City is one of the most significant and vital presenters of live bluegrass music anywhere in the world,” said Dan Hays, executive director of the Nashville-based International Bluegrass Music Association.
This year, the park adds the country’s first-ever National Single Mic Championship, May 19-20. “Single mic performances are part of the cultural heritage of bluegrass music, when musicians choreographed their movements around one mic instead of performing in a line,” a technique largely lost with today’s multiple mic systems, D.A. Callaway said. “This competition taps into that old-time show style that’s fun for the performers and the audience.”
Encouraging young talent is the focus as the park hosts its annual Youth in Bluegrass Band Contest, May 26-27. Young bluegrass artists from around the country compete for honors and cash prizes. “The Youth in Bluegrass contest is a great place to see the freshest new talent in bluegrass, performers who will be the touring bands and headliners to come,” Callaway said.
Each evening, the show This Country’s Rockin’ is featured in Echo Hollow Amphitheatre, with a special guest bluegrass group each night. Silver Dollar City also features rides and attractions including the new $6 million ride The Giant Swing; six festivals; a dozen restaurants and over 100 demonstrating craftsmen.
Silver Dollar City, located near Branson, Missouri, is open daily during Bluegrass & BBQ, May 12 – June 3. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For tickets and information and a complete schedule of performances, call 1-800-831-4FUN, or visit the web site, www.silverdollarcity.com.