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"Horsehair... tree rosin.... catgut??? Tell me fiddles were intended for classical music only." -John Keim-
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The Bluegrass Page
Page Index: Brown County Breakdown Bluegrass Festival Images from previous BCBD Festivals
Brown County Breakdown Bluegrass Festival June 20, 21 2008 A 100% Freewill Donation Festival! Bluegrass fans; pickers...
For the 2008 show, we have booked two evening's worth of outstanding acts for the festival. BUT before we talk about that, I would like to thank everyone for the great 2007 turnout, and everyone who made it possible- especially my wife, Joann who organized so many things and supported this idea from the start. I'm also much in the debt of Charles and Isabel Rogers (Mr. & Mrs. Mayor), Jeff Kramer, and Gary and Carolyn Bell, and all the bands who helped us out, and all the outstanding volunteers that helped put the festival on. Now, on to the '08 show...
Dara & The Noxie Ridge Band is headed up by Dara Conley, (formerly Durst.) This is a brand new group, and consists of Dara, her husband, Jerod, Rodney Durst (Dara's daddy), Joe McElroy, and me, John Keim. What's special about what we do?? Almost every tune we do is written and preformed by either Dara or a band member. How many groups can you say that about? Dara is producing a CD, and have plenty of orders already. Our intent is to have this CD for sale at this year's festival. Please look for it at the 2008 festival! As is consistent with our set, every tune on it will have been written by Dara or a member of the band. The CD will be out some time this year. To place your order (and you will want to after you hear the set) contact Jerod and Dara at: 785-948-3106. Gary Bell... What can I say? We couldn't put the
show on without him. He was everywhere last year, either in the capacity
of sound guy, or entertainer. Gary is working with some very talented
young musicians who happen to be his neighbors named The Kuglin
Brothers. Sherry Durst is playing base for this group and is having a great time. We're glad to have our friends, Gary Bell and Sherry who are both seasoned musicians and 'old hands' at bluegrass introduce these young men to bluegrass and watch it flourish. Pastense will be with us both evenings too. This band has great vocals, and a state champ fiddle player- Diane Gillenwater. This lady can really play a fiddle, and the neat thing about her is her whole life revolves around fiddle. She teaches it, went to college for it, and plays fiddle for fun. (Some people have all the luck.) They do a lot of Allison Kraus stuff, because of the talent of Jollene Thorpe on vocals. Susan Willits plays mandolin and an excellent Don Reno style banjo (which ain't easy), and is a great singer. The Boiler Room Boys Only one member (Joe) still works Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Topeka, (so bring fewer rotten tomatoes.) We've lost a couple members and picked up a couple new ones... Brent Barkow from Falls City, NE is our newest member. He's a great flatpicker and singer. He's 6'4" and probably 260 pounds (and he ain't fat) so we treat him REEALLLY nice. He does some really cool breaks and knows some good Gospel tunes. Welcome aboard, Brent! Chance Thompson is our banjo picker and what a great job he does of it. We're glad to have Chance back as a BRB member. We do tunes you don't hear very often, and we like the really 'twisty', unusual ones. One of our specialties is to take an old rock tune and convert it to bluegrass. I have a great time with this band, and I think you will enjoy what we do. Bluegrass Playground I'm just so proud to have this group for several reasons- One is, these guys are friends of mine from the Omaha, NE area. I met them a year ago at, guess where...? The 2006 Brown County Breakdown. They came down to jam, and we really hit it off and now keep in close contact. Banjo Picker, Dan McElroy has been in many bluegrass bands over the years, and has been on TV numerous times with his banjo. He's the best traditional banjo picker I know personally and I know a lot of em. He heads up the group and owns his own business that designs, installs and services children's Playground Equipment.... Thus the name of the band. Cool idea, huh? Earl Witt is retired Air Force, so we already owe him our respect and gratitude for his service to our country. On top of that, he'll grab your respect when you hear him sing. What a great tenor voice, and what a range! Earl grew up in Virginia, and has been around bluegrass all his life. He's a nice guy to boot! The rest of the band I've jammed with, but honestly can't remember their names. (That won't surprise any of you that know me.) Their bass Player has a Phd and the whole band has either played semi-pro, or could. I know in their ranks somewhere there is a PHd in science, and a pilot. So they aren't exactly your typical toothless redneck bluegrass band. One thing I can tell you, they are great musicians and can play traditional bluegrass with the best of them. I'm REALLY pleased they're driving 100 plus miles to put on a show for us. Thanks, guys! Judy Coder and Pride of the Prairie You know, I wouldn't be at all surprised if these folks end up in Nashville. This band recently preformed with the Topeka Symphony, to a sold out show. NOW GET this.... The tickets were $30 per person! They have made numerous appearances across the country, and have been on TV, radio and YouTube. You can come see this fine group for a free will offering, and I personally guarantee you will enjoy every minute. It is with a heavy heart I must announce this is the last time you'll see Judy C. & PoP at our festival. After September this outstanding band is breaking up. Don't miss your last chance to see them. So, now you can see why were so proud they're closing down the festival on Saturday night. Judy has won the Patsy Montana Championship several times for western yodeling. (A national competition.) I understand she occasionally sings for Operas and has a superb voice. Nice lady too. I've already told you about Judy, but how about Pride of the Prairie? Alan Lawton can play such a clean western fiddle, and does great guitar and vocal work. I understand Alan used to have a rock band in the 70s and 80s, but I doubt if he'll be doing any Pink Floyd for us! Phil Thompson is well known for his bass work- He's just fun to listen to and jam with, and always has a joke, seems like. He owns a CNC machine shop. That coupled with his busy music schedule keeps him on the go. Phil can make an upright bass do anything he wants. His son, Chance is an excellent musician too. "Cattle Call Stan" Tichenor plays guitar and mando for the band. Stan is your typical cowboy, only most typical cowboys don't have music flat out a part of them like Stan does. He's a very driven musician and cattleman, and is wise beyond his years and is one of a few left who could be considered a country gentleman in his demeanor. One of the most natural musicians I've had the privilege to meet. This group will add a new dimension to the festival, in that their western music will give us a chance to treat our ears to a different type of music after some fine bluegrass. If you enjoy Cowboy music and miss the work of the singing Cowboys and western swing, this Group is for YOU! If you like bluegrass, you'll like them too.
In case you are wondering about the setting, BCBD is held in the Fairview City Park with plenty of shade trees and a shelter building. Concessions are available, as are crude camper hookups, plenty of nearby parking and modern restrooms. (Sorry, no showers available.) Rain Contingency in the nearby Community Building. FREE WILL OFFERING!!! (Suggested donation- $6.00 per person) Please bring your own lawn chair! We will be posting updated information on this page, so please check back for new information. ABSOLUTELY NO ALCOHOL OR DRUGS PERMITTED. NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ACCIDENTS.
(This schedule is Subject to Change) Friday
Saturday
Click here to see a .pdf of the 2008 flier (Caution! large file; may take a bit to download, and assumes you have Acrobat reader. Formatted to fit a letter-sized sheet (8.5" X 11")
To see what you missed out on in 2006, Click here to hear Prairie Acre's Tricia Spencer play Orion's Jig, a fiddle tune she named after her son. (Permission granted by Prairie Acre.)
Images from previous BCBD Festivals
2007 Photo Album Images by Danny White. Thanks, Danny!
Nearby Lodging and Map to Festival Lodging: Sabetha Country Inn, Sabetha Kansas- For reservations, please call 785-284-2300. (See below for details.) Koch Motel, Sabetha, Kansas- For reservations, please call 785-284-2145
Nearby Full-service camping sites:
Mulberry Creek, Morrill, Kansas Phone 785-459-2533
Sycamore Springs, Sabetha, Kansas Phone 785-284-3088.
On site camping: A limited number of crude camping facilities are available. For more information please contact the Fairview, Kansas City office (ask to speak to the city clerk.) Phone 785-467-3560. New in 2005.... We have four 30 amp camper hookups that will allow one A/C unit per camper. We plan to add to this number yearly, as they are quite costly. Cost to hook into one of these is $5.00 per day.
Nearby Dining: Cozy Cafe. If you want the best biscuits and gravy for miles and miles, eat here Friday or Saturday morning. Norm opens up at 6:30. The Cozy is on Commercial Street. Philly's Restaurant/Sports Bar. Phil is known for his BBQ beef and pork sandwiches, and I can honestly say the tenderloin sandwiches are excellent too. From the festival, get back on highway 36 and go east two blocks on the north side of the highway. Checkers. This is also a restaurant/bar, and Butch serves a huge hamburger and a great steak. Butch's bar is on Commercial street, just a couple of doors down from the Cozy.
For a map to Brown County Breakdown Bluegrass Festival by Mapquest, click here.
Web sites for nearby towns: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Sabetha/
Fairview Mills, Fairview, Kansas is a feed ingredients producer, and a generous contributor to this event. Fairview Mills is the largest industry in Fairview. We appreciate their support of this event and our community. Holthaus Autohaus, Fairview, Kansas, 720 W. Oak Street, is a state of the art car dealership complete with shop, tire sales and not only on site sales, but if you tell Larry or Steve what you're looking for, he can find you one, procure it and bring it to his lot for your approval. These folks deal in HIGH quality used vehicles in a variety of price ranges. Please call them at: 785-467-3101 or 467-3102. Checkers Bar and Grill, Fairview, KS is a great place to stop by for a beer and supper. Try one of Butch's Butchie Burger. I have no clue what this thing weighs, but it's huge. He also cooks up a great steak, tenderloin as big as the plate, fries onion rings, etc. Nice place, good people. 785-467-9219. Philly's Sport bar and Restaurant, Fairview, KS helps sponsor our event too. My son is a big sports fan and he enjoys the fact that he can get a great meal while watching his favorite sporting event. These are some fine people too; you won't find a better waitress than Connie, and Phil does his best to bring you great food and a well-stocked bar but also great surroundings. Phone: 785-467-3192 or 467-3193. Sycamore Springs Resort, Sabetha, Kansas. Full service camping, Skating rink, miniature golf, cabins located among huge oak trees and acres of green grass. (An absolutely perfect place for a bluegrass festival.... Some day hopefully!) The Sabetha Country Inn, Sabetha, KS is a very nice place to relax and catch a great night's sleep. Rick and his staff are big supporters of the festival and a lot of community events. Call early for a room, as they often fill up before festival weekend. They're only 7 miles from the festival, and have three restaurants within half a mile of them. Phone 785-284-2300. Roger and Lana Popkess I can always count on these fine folks for a donation to the festival. They're big bluegrass fans and have been with us from the start. Thanks so much, Mr. and Mrs. Popkess. Wenger Mfg., Sabetha, Kansas Sabetha, KS is my place of employment. Mr. Lafe Bailey of Wenger Mfg. is an avid supporter of bluegrass in the area, attends our festival. Wenger is a great place to work, and I truly mean that. We appreciate them supporting the festival.
Kansas Prairie Pickers jam/program, Fourth Sunday of the month, Auburn Kansas. Click Here for more information. Prairie Lake Festival, Sponsored by Kansas Prairie Pickers. June 7- 9, 2007, Prairie Lake, Holton Kansas. Click Here for more information. Brown County Breakdown Festival, Fairview, Kansas. June 20, 21, 2008. Click here for more information.
Bluegrass Country.org is without question, my favorite bluegrass stream. http://www.bluegrasscountry.org/ Kansas Prairie Pickers is the bluegrass club that I and most of my pickin buddies belong to. They have an EXCELLENT festival the week before ours. I really and truly enjoy being part of this club and would recommend it to anyone interested in Bluegrass music in Northeast Kansas. Click Here for more information.
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