Organizers of a community fall festival are happy to welcome back an accomplished bluegrass and Americana group that includes an Ellijay-born musician.
The Ellijay First Baptist Church (FBC) Fall Festival will feature Appalachian Road Show, which includes Ellijay’s own Barry Abernathy, Tuesday, Oct. 31. The festival will last from 5:30-8 p.m., and the concert will start at 6:30 p.m.
The fall festival — which will feature carnival games, bouncy houses, food trucks and other fun activities — will take place in the big parking lot behind FBC, while the concert will be in the parking lot between the church and Back Porch Bistro.
There is no charge for the Halloween night festival or concert, both of which are open to the public. The only thing there will be a cost for are the food trucks, noted Alice Holt, FBC children’s ministry director and one of the event’s organizers.
. “It’s a gift to the community from us, and we are excited to be able to do that,” added Holt. “We will have a few seating options, but like any outside concert, people will probably need to bring a chair (with them).”
Appalachian Road Show, who play a blend of traditional and modern bluegrass music, performed at last year’s fall festival to great response, noted Holt.
“The festival is fun for families but, there are only so many times (this band) gets to be in Ellijay (to perform). They are excited about being able to come do this again,” she added.
Appalachian Road Show is the latest group to feature Abernathy, a banjo player and singer who’s been touring and recording professionally since his early 20s. He first hit the road with bluegrass stalwarts IIIrd Tyme Out, later playing banjo with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver and cofounding progressive bluegrass group Mountain Heart.
About Appalachian Road Show, who’ve been called “the thinking man’s string band,” Abernathy said it’s been the “fastest growing” group with which he’s ever been involved.
“The growth of this band, both creatively and with the warm reception we get from people, has just been incredible,” he added.
The five-piece group, which also includes ex-Mountain Heart fiddler Jim VanCleve, mandolinist Darrell Webb, (formerly of J.D. Crowe and The New South and Rhonda Vincent and The Rage), guitarist Zeb Snyder and bassist Todd Phillips, has managed to pack a career’s worth of accomplishments into just four years of playing, recording and performing together.
The short list of those accomplishments includes multiple International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) nominations and wins, as well as a collaboration with Dolly Parton on the group’s latest album, “Jubilation.”
This year, Appalachian Road Show was among the finalists for IBMA Entertainer of the Year alongside such notable bluegrass players as Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle and Del McCoury. Also this year, they appeared for the first time at the Grand Ole Opry and have returned to perform at the hallowed Nashville hall since then.
“It sure is fun to do. All the history and the crowd there at the Opry makes it fun,” Abernathy said.
So far, the group’s October tour itinerary has included dates in Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas, South Carolina and Texas. They’ll be back in North Carolina for a show a couple of days before playing the fall festival.
Abernathy said he’s looking forward to again entertaining a hometown crowd.
“It was a lot of fun last year — just like singing for all your buddies,” he added.