MainStage

2026 MainStage Musicians

The MainStage tent next to Hancock Park presents two days of fabulous musicians! All performances are free except for the Festival Kick-off Concert featuring the Lonesome River Band on Friday night.

Friday

6:30 p.m.     MainStage Tent opens
7:30 p.m.     Festival Kick-off Concert with the Lonesome River Band. The Oak Grove Boys from Dahlonega open.
                     Tickets: $30, more details here

Saturday

All MainStage performances are free on Saturday and Sunday

10:00     Storytelling Kickoff

10:30     Leo Shannon and Sarah Kate Morgan
Mountain dulcimer player Sarah Kate Morgan & fiddler Leo Shannon are traditional musicians living and teaching in Eastern Kentucky. Leo learned to play fiddle as a boy from older musicians and friends in Seattle. Sarah Kate’s first dulcimer, built by her grandfather, was given to her at 7 years old. Her songwriting honors life in southern Appalachia and reflects her experience growing up on a farm in East Tennessee.

12:15   Five Mile Mountain Road
Five Mile Mountain Road is a powerhouse string-band with a fresh but fiery take on hillbilly music. Based out of Franklin County, VA, the band’s lineup features a perfectly selected group of musicians that when combined, create more music out of a few instruments than one could even imagine.

2:00     Curtis & Kim Jones Mountain Gypsy Music
Guitarist, songwriter, composer, singer, artist and multi-instrumentalist Curtis Jones and his wife, Kim, who is an accomplished vocalist and multi- instrumentalist as well, call the interweaving styles of their dynamic duo MOUNTAIN GYPSY MUSIC. 

5:15      The Solstice Sisters
The Solstice Sisters — a trio of friends Maggie Hunter, Susan Staley, and Anna Hiers — have been performing together since 1994. They are known for harmonizing old time country ballads, traditional folk, and ’40s swing through energetic live shows.

5:30    Ugly Cousin
You’ll recognize the music as bluegrass, but the preference is to call it “string music with bluegrass and folk roots.” Both age-old favorites and well-honed originals incorporate a half dozen genres of music, with much of their original music reflecting on small town life.

7:00      Contra Dance
Plan to join your fellow festival-goers in the MainStage tent for live music and calling by Marie Graham. No contra dance experience necessary!

Sunday

All MainStage performances are free on Saturday and Sunday.

10:00   The Glenda Pender Gospel Jam
This Bear tradition is always standing room only as local musicians gather on the stage to perform gospel favorites.

1:00   Reedy River Stringband
The Reedy River String Band dives into acoustic bluegrass-style music, delighting their growing fan base with sturdy tunes that showcase more than a bit of humor. Fiddle player Sterling Waite (who also plays mandolin and harmonica occasionally), guitarist Rush Morgan and upright bassist Mark Dye are described as a three-part harmony that “brings a fresh take on Appalachian roots music infused with elements of rock n’ roll and jam band.”

2:30    Bells and Whistles
Comprised of sisters Lucy and Blakely Bell and brothers Jack and Will McKinney, Bells and Whistles has been playing together since their days taking lessons at Pick & Bow. Now in their late teens and early 20s, the band provides joy through music, lyrics, and youthful energy

4:00   Pick & Bow Students
Close out a weekend of music with the outstanding students in grades 4-12 who have learned to play fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin and ukulele in the after-school music programs offered by Georgia Pick & Bow.