Millville to bring bluegrass back with second annual music festival
Vernon Fest is bringing bluegrass to Millville for the second year in a row, led by musician and owner of the Famous Old Time Music Company Vernon McIntyre.
Bluegrass, a genre with strong roots in country music mixed with old-time string instruments and all acoustic, will be heard for miles around Millville on Aug. 3 during Vernon Fest.
The second annual bluegrass festival will be held behind the Famous Old Time Music Company on Ross Millville Road starting at 1 p.m. Five bands will play, all incorporating banjos, guitars, fiddles, mandolins or upright basses in their sets.
Vernon McIntyre, owner of the Famous Old Time Music Company and festival namesake, invited the bands — P’s in a Pod, The Hop River Band, Great Miami bluegrass Band and New Mountain Heritage — to play in the show. He'll also perform with his own band, Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass.
Before McIntyre lived in Millville, he was in Wapakoneta, Ohio, with a large store and his first bluegrass festival area. He said operating a large store was fun in his 50s, but more than 20 years later it's not so great.
He ended up opening a new smaller store here and said with some convincing, he started Vernon Fest again.
"People said, 'Well why don't you have another festival?' and I said, 'Well I don't really have room here," McIntyre said. "Then guys kept [bringing it up,] so we built a stage out back and got picnic tables out there and it's all ready. We had it last year and it went real well."
According to an article about the festival by Kitty McIntyre and Elizabeth Franz, during dinner break instead of twangy string instruments, jazz musician Michael Wingfield will come out to play.
"I'm super excited about it," Franz, a friend helping coordinate the event, said. "I just can't wait to get there and help out because being new to the world of bluegrass music, it's really fun to see just how much people enjoy playing it, and the people I've been able to get to know."
She added that an hour before the event begins the stage will be open for anyone who wants to perform.
Vernon said an issue last year was a lack of parking spaces because their shop is small and on a busy road. This year, they've taken preemptive steps and rented available space around the venue.
If someone misses Vernon Fest, but still wants to enjoy bluegrass music, they have weekly jam sessions on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. It's an open stage for anyone who wants to jam with the band.
