Bluegrass grows in Blairsville
By CHRISTIAN LEHMAN Sentinel Writer

Performers entertain the crowds from the porch of the Mock House.

The Southeastern Bluegrass Association (SEBA) in conjunction with the Union County Historical Society (UCHS) played host to the 22nd annual Southeastern Bluegrass Festival in downtown Blairsville over the weekend. The festival featured 22 bluegrass acts, a handful of bluegrass workshops for aspiring musicians and was spread out through much of downtown Blairsville.

SEBA was formed to propagate, educate and organize live performance of bluegrass music. In the past the festival has been held in the Atlanta area but this marked the first time the festival has branched out into the North Georgia Mountains, in the heart of rural Bluegrass Country. With music stages at both the downtown historic courthouse and down the street at the Mock House, blue tents scattered about hosted music work- shops and vendors.

Organizers were very pleased that threatening weather did not materialize during the event, which spanned Friday night through Saturday night. Steve Oakley of UCHS estimates that between 2500 and 3000 bluegrass fans attended

Musicians filled the Historic Courthouse with Bluegrass tunes.

over the course of the weekend, with music upstairs in the old courtroom "at capacity on Saturday night, it was four people deep and no room for anybody else." Oakley was very pleased with the results of the festival. Said Oakley, "A lot of people had fun."

A man and woman sit on the lawn of the Historic Courthouse listening to live Bluegrass. An entertainer performs on Saturday.