|
This is a collection of
articles that have appeared on our festival pages as an assessment
of how our festivals here at Bean Blossom turned out.
Our First Festival
Was A Success June 18th-21st, 1998
Our First Jam Fest Was A Success
July 31st-Aug. 1st, 1998
Our 24th Hall of Fame & Uncle Pen
Day Festival Was A Success October 9th-11th, 1998
33rd Annual Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass
Festival June 15th-20th, 1999
2nd Annual Bean Blossom Jam Fest
July 30th-31st, 1999
1st Annual Bean Blossom Gospel Jubilee
Aug. 20th-22nd, 1999
38th Annual Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass
Festival June 13th-19th, 2004
OUR FIRST FESTIVAL WAS
A SUCCESS!
This was the first festival
I've been to at Bean Blossom, and a good time was had by all.
There weren't many problems and everyone seemed to get along
great.
It rained for much of the week before the festival,
and many campers had to be pulled into their spots by tractor,
because of the mud. Luckily the rain stayed away for most of
the week-end. It did rain on Thursday night after the last show
of the evening and a little on Sunday morning. Many say one of
the things that helped the festival was all the gravel we had
hauled in and all the straw we spread on the muddy areas.
Starting from the gate, the shuttle bus continuously
circled the grounds, going through the concession area to the
rear of the camp grounds and back. At night the shuttle bus was
a beautiful sight, coming down "Hippie Hill" with many
passengers getting on and off at many places along the way. We
had several favorable comments about the air conditioned restrooms
and shower facilities, and the museum and gift shop were very
busy all week-end.
Thursday evening many came to the barbeque
dinner. It's been said that for a Thursday here, we had one of
the biggest crowds in many years. Everything went smoothly for
the sunset jam on Friday evening, many of the entertainers there
that day participated along with many fans. There were numerous
jam sessions throughout the week-end as well. Saturday there
were so many people, cars were parked way up into the front of
the park and up on "Hippie Hill." Sunday there was
still quite a crowd of people watching the shows. After the last
show on Sunday, Dwight and his staff of family and friends were
very tired but also happy, reflecting on the success of our first
festival.
Thanks again for helping to make our first
festival as successful as it was. We plan on keeping Bill's vision
here going as long as we can. Please come again and bring a friend.
Troy Pennie
Back to the top.
OUR FIRST JAM FEST WAS
A SUCCESS!
It caused goose bumps -
it was eerie! - the sound of Bill Monroe's mandolin coming from
a live performance on the stage of his beloved Bean Blossom.
But it was the amazing artistry of Mike Compton re-creating the
Monroe sound while accompanying master entertainerJohn Hartford
at the 1st Annual Bean Blossom Jam Fest, July 31 and August 1.
Two days of perfect, fall-like weather with
bright sunshine and blue sky highlited the beautiful place that
Bean Blossom has become under the management of the Dillman family
of Peru, Indiana.
Dwight Dillman, a former Blue Grass Boy, and
now the owner of the famed festival site is determined to keep
alive the magic of bluegrass music echoing through the tall trees
and hills of Bean Blossom, Indiana in memory of his former boss,
the Father of Blue Grass Music.
If audience response and comments is any gauge,
he is succeeding as most of those who left after the Jam Fest
volunteered comments expressing an interest in returning for
future performances.
Jim Peva
Back to the top.
OUR 24TH HALL OF FAME
& UNCLE PEN DAY FESTIVAL WAS A SUCCESS!
Dwight relates well with
people - he makes them feel good. As the new owner of the Bean
Blossom festival grounds, he doesn't spend much time in his office,
but rather, on a golf cart. With his walkie-talkie in his hand,
he is out greeting campers and fans and asking them if he can
do anything for them. His son, Dan, and another boy make the
rounds with a little trailer filled with free firewood for campers.
Every effort is expended to make the fans leave the festival
in a happy mood.
Dedication doesn't escape Dwight's notice either.
You don't have to be around WM Bentley Bentley very long to realize
that he loves the Bean Blossom festivals. He has worked long
and hard on the festival grounds for many years, doing every
job from mowing, parking campers and all the rest of the unlimited
number of jobs that must be done. He knows all the regular Bean
Blossom fans by their first names and they know him, too, because
he is a true ambassador of good will and bluegrass music. When
Mr. Bentley suggested that the weeds and brush be cleared from
the edge of the lake so Bill Monroe's old walking trail could
be restored for the fans to use, Dwight agreed, and had signs
prepared for the "Monroe/Bentley" walking trail. An
attractive archway entrance to the trail was constructed near
the museum, and a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on
Saturday morning, attended by Jimmy Martin, Mr. Jackson, the
show MC, and others. Little Dana Dillman, dressed to the hilt
in a flowered dress, cut the ribbon, and Dwight and WM Bentley
were the first through the arch. You could see the pride in Bentley's
eyes - he has become a celebrity at Bean Blossom - and his recognition
is well deserved. A jam session involving Dwight, Derek, and
Myron Dillman, Vernon Derrick, Talmadge Law and many others followed
the ribbon cutting.
The highlite of the festival was the induction
of Jimmy Martin into the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame following
Jimmy's afternoon show on Saturday. Many notable speakers participated
and the Sunny Mountain boys presented Jimmy with a beautiful
portait. Jimmy said it was the biggest day in his life.
All of the bands performed very well. I would
imagine that playing on stage at Bean Blossom for the first time
is very much like a country artist's first performance on the
Grand Ole Opry, and Bean Blossom is to bluegrass what the Ryman
is to country music.
All in all, the 24th Annual Bill Monroe Bluegrass
Hall of Fame & Uncle Pen Days festival was a success. The
crowd equaled, and maybe surpassed that of the June festival.
Nobody put any suggestions in the suggestion box, which probably
means that not too many people had complaints and that most were
pleased. The weather was perfect and the natural beauty of the
festival grounds, steeped in Bill Monroe tradition, and enhanced
by the many improvements that the Dillmans have made, makes Bean
Blossom the "mecca" of bluegrass fans.
Jim Peva
Back to the top.
33rd Annual
Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Festival
Dwight relates well with
people - he makes them feel good. As the new owner of the Bean
Blossom festival grounds, he doesn't spend much time in his office,
but rather, on a golf cart. With his walkie-talkie in his hand,
he is out greeting campers and fans and asking them if he can
do anything for them. His son, Dan, and another boy make the
rounds with a little trailer filled with free firewood for campers.
Every effort is expended to make the fans leave the festival
in a happy mood.
Dedication doesn't escape Dwight's notice either.
You don't have to be around WM Bentley Bentley very long to realize
that he loves the Bean Blossom festivals. He has worked long
and hard on the festival grounds for many years, doing every
job from mowing, parking campers and all the rest of the unlimited
number of jobs that must be done. He knows all the regular Bean
Blossom fans by their first names and they know him, too, because
he is a true ambassador of good will and bluegrass music. When
Mr. Bentley suggested that the weeds and brush be cleared from
the edge of the lake so Bill Monroe's old walking trail could
be restored for the fans to use, Dwight agreed, and had signs
prepared for the "Monroe/Bentley" walking trail. An
attractive archway entrance to the trail was constructed near
the museum, and a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on
Saturday morning, attended by Jimmy Martin, Mr. Jackson, the
show MC, and others. Little Dana Dillman, dressed to the hilt
in a flowered dress, cut the ribbon, and Dwight and WM Bentley
were the first through the arch. You could see the pride in Bentley's
eyes - he has become a celebrity at Bean Blossom - and his recognition
is well deserved. A jam session involving Dwight, Derek, and
Myron Dillman, Vernon Derrick, Talmadge Law and many others followed
the ribbon cutting.
The highlite of the festival was the induction
of Jimmy Martin into the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame following
Jimmy's afternoon show on Saturday. Many notable speakers participated
and the Sunny Mountain boys presented Jimmy with a beautiful
portait. Jimmy said it was the biggest day in his life.
All of the bands performed very well. I would
imagine that playing on stage at Bean Blossom for the first time
is very much like a country artist's first performance on the
Grand Ole Opry, and Bean Blossom is to bluegrass what the Ryman
is to country music.
All in all, the 24th Annual Bill Monroe Bluegrass
Hall of Fame & Uncle Pen Days festival was a success. The
crowd equaled, and maybe surpassed that of the June festival.
Nobody put any suggestions in the suggestion box, which probably
means that not too many people had complaints and that most were
pleased. The weather was perfect and the natural beauty of the
festival grounds, steeped in Bill Monroe tradition, and enhanced
by the many improvements that the Dillmans have made, makes Bean
Blossom the "mecca" of bluegrass fans.
Jim Peva
Back to the top.
2nd Annual
Bean Blossom Jam Fest
107. That's one hundred
and seven DEGREES - registered on an outdoor thermometer at Morgantown,
IN, just north of Bean Blossom on Friday, July 30. TV newscasts
warned people to stay out of the heat. And they did. They stayed
away from Bean Blossom in droves - but the small but enthusiastic
audience who did attend were treated to an outstanding lineup
of talent.
Had a nice visit with Alan O'Bryant and Roland
White at our campsite - old friends from festivals and shows
long past. The Nashville BG Band's performances always leave
me with the notion that I have never heard music played better
- same thing happend this year. Traditions run strong at Bean
Blossom.
Despite the heat, our campfire never went out
and we used it for cooking this time more than usual. Dwight
Dillman, an early riser, would come by at 6:00 a.m. and feed
the glowing coals with a new stick of firewood or two, and we
banked the fire at bedtime with a couple of beech logs and it
would last all night. Woodsmoke is part of the experience.
Met fellow-lister Nelson Hopwood for the first
time, and MaryE was there again, taking pictures & staying
in one of the log cabins complete with AC.
I had the pleasure of seeing Rhonda Vincent
perform for the first time and was tremendously impressed. What
a voice, and what a trouper! I predict great success for Rhonda
in bluegrass music.
John Cowan closed the festival to a small but
enthusiastic crowd who demanded four curtain calls. WM Bentley,
a hard-core bluegrass man, commented the next day, "Goin'
to have to call the veterinarian - that last show drove all the
squirrels crazy".
In summary, another great lineup at Bean Blossom
- Bill Monroe's favorite place - sponsored by one of the greatest
promoters of bluegrass music in the business, but who unfortunately,
has no control over the weather.
Jim Peva
Back to the top.
1st Annual
Bean Blossom Gospel Jubilee
The Gospel Jubilee featured
a great variety of Gospel Music, from the beautiful voice of
Jolena Foster, who provided her own musical accompanyment, to
the closing act, the Crabb Family, with ten talented performers
on stage at once. One of the highlights was a piece by the Steeles
concerning the obligation of parents to children in this modern
age of temptation. With each day's program preceeded by a church
service, the Jubilee provided a meaningful experience for the
Christian believer.
Jim Peva
Back to the top.
38th Annual
Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Festival
OK, here goes -- these 76
year old bones take a while to recuperate from the big event.
We had some rain at the beginning of the festival, but the last
few days were perfect. Of course, the campfire kept burning through
it all. About half way through the festival this year, Tim Dillman
and I hit upon an absolute gourmet delight -- thick sliced baloney
(about >3/4 inch), grilled over the fire with jowl bacon,
made into a sandwich with mayo & sliced tomato, crisp bacon,
and, (as Jimmy Martin says), a "big ole slice of onion-head,"
on an onion bun. It was so good that Wallace Boswell and I had
one again for breakfast on Sunday after the festival was over.
The festival this year started on Sunday and
ended on Saturday, so it was a 7-day affair. This seemed to work
well, as the last day, traditionally a Sunday, has always been
going home day, with only a small crowd left to watch the shows.
As usual, I didn't go to many of the shows,
but spent most of the time at my campsite, visiting with old
friends. Tim Dillman insisted that I go to the CherryHolmes family
show, which I did, and I wasn't disappointed. Super-talents all,
this family band is glued together by the rock-solid bass playing
of Jerry, the father, who does it as well as anybody I have ever
heard. Their vocals and instrumentals are great, and they range
from high energy traditional bluegrass to absolutely beautiful
a cappella harmony. If this band does not reach national prominence
soon, it will surprise me. Maybe they already have.
I had to come home on Friday for a funeral
home visit for a deceased friend, and while I was home, I checked
my email. I had a message from Saburo Watanabe Inoue in Japan,
saying a friend of his was at the Bean Blossom festival and he
hoped I would meet him and make him welcome. When I got back,
Sam Jackson made an announcement from the stage, trying to locate
this man, to no avail, but the next day we did get together for
a nice visit and I discovered that Mr. Tatsuo Arita, a pharmacist
in Japan, and also a show booker, was the man who was responsible,
in 1957, for bringing the first bluegrass shows to Japan. So
the Japanese/Bean Blossom relationship has come full circle --
from the appearance of the Bluegrass 45 band at Bean Blossom
in 1971 to the first visit to Bean Blossom by the man who had
introduced bluegrass music to the Japanese people. Mr. Arita
and his two friends seemed to enjoy themselves and they were
able to warm themselves by the campfire on Saturday evening,
which was unusually cool.
Jimmy Martin may be a controversial character,
but there is absolutely no question about him being a real trouper.
Jimmy is suffering from cancer of the bladder and the after effects
of chemo and radiation treatment. He has lost weight and strength
but when he took the stage on Saturday night, he was the same
old Jimmy Martin and he had the audience eating out of his hand.
He put on a great show and was on stage for most of the hour
and fifteen minute slot. His special guest, LeRoy Troy, performed
his banjo monkeyshines for an appreciative audience with Jimmy
advising him afterward how Uncle Dave Macon would have done the
numbers. Of course, LeRoy doesn't need any advice about that
subject. Jimmy earned the respect of everybody for his "gutsy"
efforts to overcome his physical ailments and to put on an entertaining
show. Jimmy's band was really "cracking" Saturday night.
On the morning after his show, Jimmy was out and about with Dwight
Dillman, as usual, and he visited our campsite, posed for pictures,
and then he and LeRoy and several others went to the traditional
squirrel and rabbit breakfast up on Hippie Hill, hosted by Jack
Davis.
I had an opportunity during the week to visit
with many of my old cronies, including Raymond Huffmaster, Roger
Smith, James Monroe, Kenny Dawsey, Ray Smith, Bruce Nichols,
Paul Nolan, and many other Bean Blossom regulars. I also had
an opportunity to visit with Ernie Graves, a former Blue Grass
Boy, who hadn't been to Bean Blossom in years. He was amazed
at the improvements that Dwight Dillman has made to the festival
grounds.
Almost everybody who comes to Bean Blossom
knows Dwight's father, Myron Dillman, AKA "Mr. D."
During the early part of the festival, Vince Combs, the leader
of the Shadetree Grass band, came to Myron's camper at about
2:00 a.m., gaining entrance by sending Myron's granddaughter,
Dana, to the door. When Sharon Dillman opened the door, Vince
and a whole herd of musicians burst in and serenaded Myron while
he was in bed. The next morning Myron, while delivering ice,
took two bags onto Vince's bus, located Vince in a lower bunk,
pulled the covers back and poured the contents of one bag all
over the sleepy Vince. And he charged him for both bags of ice!
Bean Blossom justice.
Another great Bean Blossom musical family reunion
has come and gone. We wish you had been there, if you weren't,
but maybe next time. It is a wonderful place to remember the
great Bill Monroe and carry on the traditions he started.
Jim Peva
Back to the top.
|
