By Kathy Foster-Patton

www.bluegrass.com

July 25 - 27

Planet Bluegrass Ranch, Lyons, CO

In July, RockyGrass celebrates its 36th birthday, and will have many of the luminaries of bluegrass on hand for another unforgettable event. Although RockyGrass’s music typically tends toward the more traditional bluegrass, this year will feature some progressive sounds, such as the Celtic fiddling of Natalie MacMaster. Hardcore bluegrass fans will be thrilled to hear that the legendary JD Crowe will take the RockyGrass stage for the first time ever, while Dan Tyminski of “Oh, Brother Where Art Thou” fame, has a brand new band on the lineup. This festival features a prestigious band contest, as well as late night concerts at the new Wildflower Pavilion adjacent to the campground, and no other festival has such an array of late-night picks and jams. In fact, for many the music on stage during the day, is just a pre-cursor to the campground tunes that are played all-night long. TRAVEL TIME: (As calculated by mapquest.com from Denver, Colo. to Lyons, Colo.)

Total Est. Time: 55 minutes

Total Est. Distance: 49 miles

YOU NEED TO KNOW: Every Tuesday night, Oskar Blues restaurant in Lyons hosts the hottest bluegrass pick in the Denver/Boulder area.  Home of the renowned Dale’s Pale Ale (in a can), the venue’s fine kitchen offers scrumptious dishes that range from burgers to burritos to pizza to Cajun.  During the week before RockyGrass, as well as the week after, Oskar’s has been known to have folks like the members of Nickel Creek and John Paul Jones (yes—from Led Zeppelin) sitting in their jam circles. PRICE: $$$ CAMPING: Yes Artists: Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, & Edgar Meyer Dan Tyminski Band Bela Fleck & Friends John Cowan Band Russ Barenberg & Bryan Sutton The Steeldrivers Mike Marshall & Darol Anger Spring Creek Bluegrass Band Natalie MacMaster Punch Brothers feat. Chris Thile Sam Bush Bluegrass Band Carolina Chocolate Drops Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet feat. Bela Fleck Psychograss Infamous Stringdusters Bearfoot Chatham County Line Peter Rowan JD Crowe & The New South Adrienne Young & Little Sadie Stairwell Sisters Gospel Set featuring Jeremy Garrett