Like anything else worth perpetuating it all started with a dream and some dedicated people. The men who made it happen started a bluegrass band called The Whitehorse Mountaineers in the mid-1970s. The band grew out of local jam sessions by transplanted North Carolinians, commonly referred to as Tarheels, who brought with them much of their culture in the form of music. So many people were drawn to this special brand of hometown music that it was decided to organize the first annual Darrington Bluegrass Festival. The inaugural festival was held in 1977 at the rodeo grounds.  From left to right – Bob Fisher, Grover Jones, Louie Ashe, O.C. Helton & Roy Morgan.

The first stage was a makeshift flatbed trailer parked at the Darrington Rodeo Grounds. Sam and Bertha Nations were part of the vanguard of musicians who originally met and married in North Carolina then moved to Darrington in the 1940s. They called their band The Combinations. Like their friends in The Whitehorse Mountaineers, Sam and Bertha were also founding members of the Bluegrass and Country Musicmaker’s Association, the nonprofit which runs the festival to this day. Although Sam passed away in the year 2000, Bertha continues to play, headlining the latest version of The Combinations on the festival stage.

Looking back at 40 Years Of Darrington Bluegrass Festival

When land adjacent to the rodeo grounds to the east became available the Bluegrass and Country Musicmaker’s Association saw an opportunity to expand. They purchased it and broke ground to make it an outdoor amphitheater. The Darrington Bluegrass Festival now had its own permanent home. During construction the old portable stage that had been used at the rodeo grounds was transferred to its new home at the bluegrass grounds.

In the late 1980s, a newer, bigger stage was built in the style of a log cabin, similar to country and bluegrass venues in the South. Musicians were now better protected from the elements and they had room backstage to practice, chat or just hang out before they were summoned to play. That stage has featured some national bluegrass legends, including Bill Monroe.  The Darrington Bluegrass Festival today still attracts over 7,000 people to the area and after 40 years is still going strong. It has helped forge a dream that led to a legacy and tradition for the Darrington Community.  Learn more about the Darrington Bluegrass Festival at their website.

Darrington Bluegrass Festival 2019