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Whole lot of picking and grinning planned Sunday
By JULIANNE WU, Times Staff Writer SEMINOLE -- There has been a bluegrass revival of sorts in America since the roots-music soundtrack to the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? won four Grammys in March and recently made Billboard Magazine's top 10 albums. And, possibly, for organizers of the 25th Seminole Bluegrass Festival, that will translate into lots of people in the audience on Sunday at Seminole City Park. The Seminole Bluegrass Festival, staged since 1977 by the G.F.W.C. Seminole Junior Woman's Club as a major fundraiser, returns after an absence of two years. It was skipped in 2000 and 2001 because of renovations at Seminole City Park. According to World Book Online, bluegrass music, a form of country music, traces its roots to Scottish and Irish immigrants who settled in the Appalachian Mountains, but now incorporates folk songs, gospel, country and good old-fashioned improvisation. A typical bluegrass band usually includes a guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin and bass. This year's entertainment lineup promises to be as interesting as past festivals', said Kristen Holloway-Oliphant, music chairwoman. "There is a lot of excitement that the festival is coming back," she said. "We've gotten lots of phone calls and e-mails asking about it." The 25th event continues the tradition started when a former club member Trudy McNulty suggested that instead of the Seminole Woman's Club traditional fundraising dance, they might try inviting local musicians and artists to put on a daylong concert. Sandy Holloway -- who lives across the street from the park and happens to be Kristen Holloway-Oliphant's mother -- was the music chairwoman for many years. Mrs. Holloway gave up the job in 1998. Her late husband, Mike (who died in 1981), played banjo as a hobby and was a member of the Green Grass Revival, and knew many of the area's local bluegrass musicians. Green Grass Revival, which has changed over the years but is still led by Peter Gallagher, will perform again this year. "I was 10 years old at the time, when my dad performed with the band," said Holloway-Oliphant, whose brother, Kevin, who also performed with her and Mrs. Holloway in another band called Grass With Class. "Green Grass Revival has been at the festival almost every year since it started," said Holloway-Oliphant. Here is a tentative schedule of the bands and the times they will play Sunday: 11-11:45 a.m., Foothill Noon-12:45 p.m., Shark Attack 1-1:45 p.m., Southbound, from Tampa 2-2:45 p.m., 97th Regimental String Band, which plays Civil War type music 3-3:45 p.m., Beaumont, from Dade City 4-4:45 p.m., Southwind, from St. Petersburg 5-6 p.m., Green Grass Revival Returning as master of ceremonies will be Hank Shaw, a disc jockey for WQYK. All net proceeds from the festival benefit local children's charities. Since that first Bluegrass Festival, the club has donated over $170,000 to such organizations as Ronald McDonald House; the Pinellas Association for Retarded Children; the Special Olympics; R.O.C.K., a summer camp for kids with cancer; the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast; Hugh O'Brien Youth Foundation; and others, said event chairwoman Tori Thrower. Other funds have gone to the Seminole Community Library, Seminole Pow Wow Festival and Seminole Kids' Appreciation Day. Food and beverages will be sold at the park. And there will be children's activities. -- Information from Times files, Reuters and World Book Online used in this report. If you goThe 25th Seminole Bluegrass Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday in Seminole City Park, 7464 Ridge Road. Cost: $5 donation requested; free for children under 12. Parking available at TJ Maxx, 7191 Seminole Blvd. Free shuttle will operate continuously from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
