There are few better things in life than to find yourself at a bluegrass festival, camping with a group of friends, with perfect weather and no responsibilities other than to jam all day and go watch the stage show if you feel like it. I found myself in just such a situation over the weekend up at Thomas Point Beach in Maine. In retrospect, it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, but if I stop and think about it, the experience was chock full of activities.
Since I can slap up pictures for y’all to look at, I’ll talk about the stage shows. Thursday night’s headliner was Rhonda Vincent, but the jamming was so good at our camp I didn’t even get to the stage. So, no picture of her. Friday night was Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives. I love Marty Stuart (his album The Pilgrim is one of my all-time favorites 
). He played an acoustic show with Kenny Vaughn on guitar, Harry Stinson on drum (on a strap over his shoulder so he, too, could move around), and Paul Martin on upright bass.
Saturday’s big show was Ricky Skaggs, who always does a good, slick show. I was amused, though, that his CDs were being sold off a plain old picnic table.
My favorite act of the day, though, was the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band. You may have read a couple weeks back about the new CMT show Outsider’s Inn. We’ll these are the guys that are on it.
L-R: Pete Elegant, Mike Armistead, (hidden Dave Gandon), Leroy Troy, Lester Armistead.
Sunday I snapped some shots of my good friends the Old Time Bluegrass Singers.
L-R: Herb Applin, Terry McGill, Robert Fraker, Dick Bowden, Lillian Fraker.
The festival closed out with the Del McCoury Band, favorites of mine from way back in my high school days. They played some of their old numbers like “Quicksburg Rondezvous” and “Deeper Shade of Blue” that made me nostalgic.
It was a total drag to have to come home and start doing real work again. Normally I would eagerly anticipate next year, but it was the final festival ever, so nothing to look forward to. 
I’ll just have to search out another festival to make my almost-annual trek to the northeast. I’m open to suggestions…
And last but not least, one of my favorite pictures from the festival. This is me with Leroy Troy.
Tags: casey, del mccoury band, Leroy Troy, marty stuart, old time bluegrass singers, tennessee mafia jug band, thomas point beach