At Silver Dollar City’s Bluegrass & BBQ Festival, the liveliness of bluegrass music brings family harmonies and upbeat melodies to the stages and streets with over 50 bands and more than 500 performances. Amid the flavors of bluegrass music are the seasonings of an All-American barbecue. These two ingredients combine to create one of the Midwest’s most popular springtime festivals at Silver Dollar City, May 10 – June 1.

Throughout the years, bluegrass music has evolved into a musical genre that showcases award-winners and up-and-comers featuring new sounds and traditional favorites. “Bluegrass music has been influenced by, and has influenced, many other styles of music since its creation,” says Bluegrass & BBQ coordinator D.A. Callaway. This influence can be seen in the growth of crossover and cutting-edge bluegrass artists like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Rhonda Vincent and The Grascals. Traditional flavors can still be heard from bands such as Dailey & Vincent and NewFound Road, all playing during Silver Dollar City’s Bluegrass & BBQ Festival.

The House of BBQ serves up a barbecue feast from St. Louis ribs and smoked chicken to Texas brisket and sweet roasted corn on the cob, direct from large outdoor charcoal grills and a custom-made 9-foot smoker for Silver Dollar City’s famous flavor. Sample hundreds of sauces from smoky chipotle and sweet hickory to Carolina vinegar and honey habanero.

The festival also highlights two national competitions with the 2nd Annual National Single Mic Championship on May 17 and 18, and the Youth In Bluegrass Band Competition on May 24 and 25. New for 2008, Great American Country Nights In Echo Hollow presents today’s greatest country hits nightly in the park’s 4,000-seat amphitheater.

Silver Dollar City, located near Branson, Missouri, is open daily during Bluegrass & BBQ, May 10 – June 1. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. May 24 & 25). For tickets, information and a complete schedule of performances, call 1-800-831-4FUN, or visit the web site, http://www.silverdollarcity.com.

Bluegrass headliners include:

* Seven-time IBMA* Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent
* 2006 & 2007 IBMA Entertainer of the Year The Grascals
* 2005 IBMA Entertainer of the Year and Grammy nominees Cherryholmes
* 2007 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Bradley Walker
* A special concert by 3-time Grammy winner the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
on May 30

* International Bluegrass Music Association

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