Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival July 17th & 18th

G2 Bluegrass Band will play at the Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival

If you love small town hospitality and charm, and bluegrass music, then you’ve got to get your tickets for the Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival on July 17th & 18th in Etna. The Festival kicks off Friday night in downtown Etna with the informal, entertaining Jammin on Main Street jam session. So if you love to play, bring your instrument and sit in as band members and locals play.

The Festival is held Saturday and Sunday in the Etna City Park under huge shade trees. This year’s line up is posted below and includes G2, from Sweden, Shades of Blue with fiddle champion Melissa Lynn Lincoln and the Donna Hughes Band, whose songs have been recorded by Alison Krauss and Union Station.

If you haven’t been to Scott Valley (not to be confused with Scotts Valley) this is a great reason to visit this small agricultural area in far Northern California. The small towns of Etna and Fort Jones serve as hubs for mind blowing outdoor recreation in the Trinity Alps, Marble Mountain and Russian Wilderness Areas. Scott Valley is also a great place for road cyclists. When you come to the Bluegrass Festival you can get a taste of the outdoors by camping, visiting swimming holes on the Scott River or driving down remote back roads. Ask the locals – they’ll tell you all about the great things to do. In the meantime, go to the Festival website to order your tickets and learn more about lodging options in the Scott Valley. Oh, and if you go, be sure to stop by the Etna Brewery for local brew and good food and an ice cream sundae at Scott Valley Drug afterward!

Saturday – July 17th, 2010
10-11: Trusting Heart
11-12: G2
12-1: Donna Hughes
1-1:30: John and Jerry
1-2 Lunch——
1:45-2:45: Guitar workshop w/ Jerry and John
2-3: Bound to Ride
3-4: Shades of Blue
4-5: California Borderline
5-6: Dinner
6-7: Susie Glaze and the Hilonesome Band
7-8: Donna Hughes
8-9: G3

Sunday – July 18th, 2010
10-11: Trusting Heart
11-12: Shades of Blue
12-1: Susie Glaze and The Hilonesome Band
1-2: Bound To Ride
2-3: California Borderline
3-4: G2
4-5: Donna Hughes

Scott Valley music

We went out to Callahan in the Scott Valley on Wednesday to see SV resident David Waymire who builds custom guitars. David grew up in the Valley and has been playing music since his school days (not that long ago in his case). He’s been building guitars for about a year and a half under the label Old Etna Guitars, creating his own designs, like the Bolivar Baby Jumbo. He prides himself on shaping the neck specifically to the hand of his client, and he’s heard back that his guitars are very comfortable to play. He’s using some exotic woods, like rosewood and ebony on the sides and backs, with Cali woods: western red cedar and redwood, for the top panel. It takes him 2-3 weeks to build a guitar. He’s currently experimenting with organic finishes, so the process will get quicker as he gets those products dialed in.

David’s in a band called The Sundown Poachers with another local boy – Johnny Callahan, who plays one of his guitars. The band plays regularly at the Etna Brewery (530.467.5277) – home of the Old Grind porter and Etna Rootbeer – on Thursday nights during the summer and at the Callahan Emporium. The band is also playing gigs in the Mt. Shasta area, with some unplanned appearances lately at the Billy Goat Tavern.

The Scott Valley is big on music, with plenty of its citizens playing together and some reaching beyond their local setting into the greater music world. In the summer they come together to celebrate with the Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival in July. This year’s event, from July 19-20, will include Carrie Hassler and Hard Rain, The Anderson Family Band, Alhambra Valley Band and the Piney Creek Weasels. It all kicks off in downtown Etna on Friday night with the “Jammin’ on Main” event from 6-9pm where anyone who brings an instrument can play. Some of the bands join in, so you can play with musicians you’ll be watching on stage the next day. It’s a low-key, family-friendly festival set under the old oak trees of the City Park, and well worth the visit. Plus, it’s a great excuse to visit the Scott Valley, a real through back to rural living.

To learn more about visiting the Scott Valley, use our website at www.visitsiskiyou.org.