With less than a month to go, preparations are in full swing for the sixth annual Red, White and Bluegrass Festival.
Three major changes are in store this year: the event, set for July 1-4, will be held at Catawba Meadows Park, 701 Sanford Drive, there is an admission fee and the fireworks show will be at the park.
Morganton Parks and Recreation has scheduled a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Collett Street Recreation Center to organize staff and volunteers.
Parks and Recreation Director Gary Leonhardt said approximately 30 to 40 volunteers are needed to assist at admission gates. Volunteers must be 18-years or older.
Volunteers will receive a T-shirt and a four-day pass to the festival, Leonhardt said. Applications will be available at the meeting.
The admission price comes after five years of having the festival free for the public. Leonhardt said in the past the event used funds from the recreation budget, sponsors and fees from vendors.
Admission fees will be helpful for covering the costs as the festival grows and more bands with name recognition are scheduled, Leonhardt said.
One of those bands with a large following includes the Dan Tyminski Band. Tyminski is the lead guitarist and lead male singer of Union Station, the band that performs with Alison Krauss. He is also known for voicing George Clooney's character during "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" in the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou."
Other crowd pleasers in the line-up include Cherryholmes, Dailey and Vincent, Mountain Heart, the Grascals and Marty Raybon.
The festival kicks off at noon July 1 with pickin' on the Greenway. Seven to eight bands will be positioned along the Greenway providing music for passersby, Leonhardt said.
"We're growing the show," Leonhardt said. "We've got more entertainers."
Advanced tickets are $25 for a four-day pass, and at the gate it's $40 for the same pass, which is considerably lower than other bluegrass festivals, Leonhardt said.
Several hundred tickets have already been sold, Leonhardt said. A crowd of thousands is expected during the festival.
The change in venue serves as an advantage for the festival, Leonhardt said.
The location allows for setting up admission gates, provides more parking, more seating and eventually a permanent stage, Leonhardt said.
Camping will be available for anyone who purchases a four-day pass, but there are no hookups, Leonhardt said. In the past, there have been several tent campers and approximately 40 RV and trailer campers.
The Fourth of July fireworks show is moving from the Collett Street Recreation Center to the festival site, Leonhardt said.
"That will be the thing that will kind of throw us a curve," Leonhardt said.
Moving the fireworks show brings up logistical problems, including where viewers who don't attend the festival can watch the show.
For those who aren't attending the festival, the fireworks show is still available as long as you don't enter the festival area, Leonhardt said. He suggested parking along N.C. 181.
Daily and four-day pass tickets can be purchased online at www.redwhiteandbluegrassfestival.com or by contacting the City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium at 433-SHOW.
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