Fiddles, banjos, dancing and a touch of protest will be in the air at the 10th Karuah Bluegrass Festival this weekend.
Organiser Gleny Rae says all shows will be free to celebrate the festival’s 10th anniversary at Longworth Park on the banks of the Karuah River.
Headliners include The Nid North, North Carolina-based flatpicker Tommy Chandler with his Aussie band The Longyard, Gleny Rae and her Bluegrass Explosion.
The entertainment begins Friday night, March 23, with a concert at the Karuah RSL club.
Saturday’s activities include a workshop by Derek Dowding in writing parody songs and live music through the afternoon and into the night.
Dowding, 53, of Wallsend, has been writing parody and protest songs for decades. Just last week he penned a new song, Williamtown Water, that went up on Youtube on Friday, tackling government inaction on groundwater contamination affecting residents near the Williamtown RAAF base.
Dowding will perform a set at 3pm on Saturday at the festival.
Sunday’s highlights include a bluegrass gospel show at the Anglican Church followed by parody song competition at church at 11.30am.
