FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUNDAY, SEPT. 20, 2009

Bluegrass competition winners announced at NC Mountain State Fair

Contact:  Vickie Hensley-King    
(828) 628-5828

FLETCHER--Cane Creek bluegrass band from Fairview won the 2009 Mountain Music Festival bluegrass band championship at the Mountain State Fair, earning the right to open tonight for The Travelin McCourys and Tony Rice at the final fair concert. Cane Creek placed third in the same competition in 2008.

Silver Dagger of Asheville placed second, with Kudzu of Morganton coming in third. Winning bands earned $500, $300 and $100 respectively.
"We had an amazing display of talent grace the Heritage Stage this year during the Old Time, Bluegrass and Display band performances, and had some great cloggers, too," said Vickie Hensley-King, contest coordinator. "There were times I felt like I should have paid to see these performances, the caliber was so high."

Cane Creek and Old Time band winner Dona's Bow will perform tonight beginning at 6 p.m. in McGough Arena as the opening acts for the McCoury/Rice concert. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and tickets for the show are only $5 and are available at fair entrance gates and the McGough box office.

Individual musicians within the competing bluegrass bands were recognized for excellence during the competition as follows, winning $50, $40 and $30:

Vocal:
1st        Ashleigh Caudill
2nd        Grace Van't Hof
3rd        Danielle Bishop

Mandolin:
1st        Aaron Williams
2nd        Matt Purinton
3rd        Jim Turpin

Bass: 
1st  Ashleigh Caudill
2nd        Daniel Perry
3rd        Phil Preston

Banjo: 
1st        Brandon Toney
2nd        Grace Van't Hof
3rd        Greg Trollinger

Guitar:  
1st        Seth Taylor
2nd        Rick Cooper
3rd        Anita Bishop

Fiddle: 
1st        Danielle Bishop
2nd        Marjorie Hill
3rd        no award