Upon the heels of attending the NTCMA Festival in Le Mars, IA. I and my friend Allyn traveled across the river to the 4th Annual Applegrass Bluegrass Festival. It was hosted again by the Great Plains Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association at Ditmars Orchards near Council Bluffs. Ten bands performed on the outdoor stage on Saturday and Sunday evenings and provided listeners with a wide range of local bluegrass and old time music. The temperature cooled very comfortably under a starry sky as the last couple of bands took the stage. I ferried a couple of short stints at the mixing console for Josh Krohn (Dirty River Ramblers) to cover while he took a break or was on stage with all the performers who joined in the final encore. Of course no music festival would be complete without real kettle corn and BBQ sandwiches – along with a variety of menu choices inside the Ditmars store. A number of other vendors were represented as well as an extensive collection of old time stringed instruments was on display.
This festival is an extension of other activities of the GPBOTMA which includes their monthly show and jam the first Sunday afternoon of each month (2 pm), picking up again in October and continuing through May. The American Legion Hall Post #1 is the venue, located at 7811 Davenport (just north of 78th & West Dodge in Omaha). Come listen, jam and learn your instrument in a relaxed atmosphere with friends and those who soon will be.

The air was warm and also the reception for Maria Petersen’s outdoor performance at this year’s National Traditional Country Music Association annual festival in Le Mars, IA. I and a friend traveled up to Le Mars last Saturday to deliver an award certificate for studio time and catch what performances we could of clients and friends. Maria was scheduled at one of the outdoor stages while we were there and so we heard her sing and play zither. Bob (and later Bob & Sheila) Everhart have hosted this annual celebration of old time music for 38 years in various locations. It was good to meet several friends/clients that had traveled up to participate on one of several stages – both indoor and out during the week prior to Labor Day.

Maria Petersen’s “Zither Extravaganza” was awarded Traditional Folk Music CD of the Year in 2010 at the NTCMA Festival. That release was one of three Maria recorded that year – all well worth your listen and purchase. I’ll be glad to put you in touch with Maria to obtain yours, and you can hear a sample of all the discs in the audio gallery.

Well it’s hard to imagine sleigh rides and a cold night in Bethlehem right now, but DeJa Blu is doing their best to remind us. The duo of Diane Thomas and Pam Kragt came in to record vocals for their latest release – a Christmas compilation. The eight song recording focuses on memories of Christmas past to encourage our Christmas present. Duets and solos are interspersed in the flavor variety DeJa Blu is known for. I found a small Christmas ornament to hang in the studio to get us all in the mood during a hot summer day and the vocal tracks were recorded in a morning session. We’ll keep you updated again on the progress of this release from DeJa Blu.