The Bluewaters Bluegrass Festival was resurrected over the second weekend of August. The lineup was very professional, the sound engineering was excellent, there were just a few delays when the bands changed, and attendance was very strong. A few people – well, mostly me – felt that past years’ lineups had a couple of acoustic acts that focused on traditional tunes, whereas this year the features were exclusively bluegrass-oriented. Then again, it is probably not reasonable to expect anything else from an organization titled the Inland Northwest Bluegrass Association. Workshops ranged from fiddle to guitar to banjo to singing, and an event featured the tunes of John Hartford. It was a lot of fun and I am sure that everyone felt boosted by the revival of such a great tradition.

There also has been some resurrection of the local performing arts, as JayDean Ludikers’ self-titled Adult Therapy Group has been bringing their professional-level skills to the Broadway Court Estates and I understand that the Piney Ridge Pickers have been playing at the retirement home in their area. I hope everyone is having a good time and will continue to get out and cheer the atmosphere at the assisted-living facilities in our area.