Mayville Bluegrass Festival

[Folkstrum]

This is also posted on UMGF-I live about 10 miles from Mayville; very reasonable-like $15.00 for a day-long pass; great food, music, pickin' and guitars, mandolins and dulcimers on display. My 5 cent commercial-

Mayville, NY-The Mayville Bluegrass Festival has announced the details of its annual guitar flatpicking and mandolin competitions, to be held during the festival, June 18-19, 2005. The nationally sponsored contests will yield prizes worth over $8000.

The Mayville Bluegrass Festival has teamed up with Larrivee and Martin Guitars for the third annual MBF Flatpicking Contest. The Grand Prize winner will receive a brand-new Larrivee Bluegrass Guitar (D-60) specially appointed for bluegrass pickers and with the Mayville Bluegrass Festival Logo inlaid in the headstock.
This year, the world-famous C.F. Martin Guitar Company will provide the second-place winner with a brand-new Martin D-15 mahogany dreadnought guitar.
Third place winner receives $100 and a cache of guitar accessories.

Last year’s mandolin contest sponsor, Weber Mandolins, will again present the second annual Mayville Bluegrass Festival Mandolin Picking Contest. The winner will receive a brand-new Weber Bitteroot F-Style Mandolin specially appointed for the MBF with a sunburst gloss finish.

The preliminary round for the mandolin contest is at 12:30 pm Saturday, June 18 at the Mayville VFW. The first round of the guitar competition will be at 1:30 at the Mayville American Legion. The finals for both contests will be at 2 pm Sunday, June 19 on the mainstage of the festival.

Contestants may go to www.mayvillebluegrassfestival.com and download a printable registration form or send name, address, and a registration fee of $25.00 to:

Mayville Bluegrass Festival
89 Elm Street
Mayville, NY 14757

The contests will accept registrants up until 1/2 hour before the preliminary round, but will only be accepting the first 20 entrants. Pre-registrants will receive a weekend pass with paid registration. All contestants must have a weekend pass to be eligible.

The Mayville Bluegrass Festival is the largest family-oriented two-day bluegrass festival in the Northeast. Featuring The Tony Rice Unit, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, Claire Lynch, and many national and regional bluegrass acts, it will be held at Mayville, NY’s Lakeside Park, June 18-19, 2005. It also features an after-hours component Saturday evening in the nightspots of Mayville.

For more info visit www.mayvillebluegrassfestival.com, email ward@cecomet.net or call 716.753.7464.
ward@cecomet.net

[FlatPickinFritz]

you going? http://www.birchmere.com/index.cfm they have a good one as well , also the .. I think its called the windermere blue grass in kansas I think its set up just like that. I am not sure if Bill Monroes has contests like them but I would like to find out by going some time.

[Folkstrum]

I'm hoping to go for parts of it...it's tough because I have...uh...weekend responsibilities, as they say. ;)

[Pistolero]

I fully intended to go to Mayville, and went and bruised my right wrist yesterday while working around the house. So no trip to NY this time. I know the guy that won the guitar contest 2 years ago and the mandolin last year- Scott Pearson. He will be competing this year in the guitar again (Good luck Scott). I called him last week and he was going to accompany me in the contest, I'll call him today to tell him I can't make it and wish him luck. If you go, say hello to him for me. Also, the guitar player with Claire Lynch is a friend of mine, Jim Hurst. He is an absolute monster player, both fingerstyle and flatpicking and a super nice guy as well. Tell him hello also. Sure wish I could be there.

I do intend on two other contests this year though. There will be a good one in Ossipee Valley Maine where first place is a Bourgious dreadnaught, 2nd is a Martin HD28 and 3rd is a Taylor 710. It is July 28-31 and should be a good one. I also have my name on the list to go back to Winfield this year for the National competition in September, that's always a good one.

[Folkstrum]

Sorry to miss you, Pistolero--but fully understood. Again, I wish I had more of the weekend "off"--but I don't. Still hoping to at least catch maybe the Saturday nite jams in the "local night spots." :D

OH YEAH--intentional "bump" too-sorry-but it will be over by Sunday. ;)

[Pistolero]

Congrats to Scott Pearson, he won first (again) and walked away with a nice Larivee D60 with a custom inlaid headstock. Also, Tyler Grant took first place at the Wayne Henderson guitar contest and took home a Henderson Mahogony D18.

[Folkstrum]

Pistolero--did you end up going? I noticed your location is in Florida (?) Just wondered.

Due to a multi-combination of circumstances, and kinda crummy weather on Saturday, and half of Sunday, I didn't make it. Really wanted to hear Tony Rice, but just couldn't swing it. Long story.

(If you didn't go, how'd you know who won? I didn't check through all the paper, but they only mentioned it in Saturday's edition I think-or maybe it was Sunday's). Scott Pearson ought to spread the wealth around and give someone else a chance--that Larrivee was first prize last year too. ;)

[Pistolero]

Folkstrum, no I didn't go. I was clearing some property late last week and managed to injure my right hand, either a fracture or a bruised bone. Either way, it hurts too much to try and grip a pick. So I sat this one out. And yes I am in Fla, but we don't have any contests down here that give away guitars. There used to be one in Polk City at the Wings and Strings festival, but I hosted that one and Taylor sponsored us with a guitar for the prize. So in other words, for me to compete with the chance of bringing home a nice guitar, I don't mind traveling a little (or alot). I haven't seriously competed in a number of years, but I've kinda got the fire back a little to hit a few this year. The competition always makes me find ways to improve my playing, plus it's a cool feeling to win a guitar that most of us wouldn't be able to afford to buy without some serious budgeting issues.

The reason I know that Scott won is because he called me tonight and told me. He said this D60 is a little stronger guitar than the one he won there two years ago. BTW, Scott is also a heckuva a mandolin player, he placed 2nd twice now and a third place finish at the Walnut Valley contest in Winfield contest and also won 1st at Merlefest last year in the mandolin contest. His wife Cathy won the fiddle contest at Winfield in 1998 as well. BTW, the contest rules at Mayville state that a winner has to sit out the following year before they can compete again, so next year might be your year Folkstrum. ;) :D

[FlatPickinFritz]

Bluegrass association of south florida. they might no of a contest in florida that gives away nice guitars, but since its Fla. there is a chance you will need a license to play, just like any kind of work you might want to do. j/k. what part of florida do you live in, I am in Atlantis, thats next to lakeworth. tony rice is great, but have you seen Dan Crary play? or that jazz bajo player play?