Cannonsburgh Village will once again host the extravaganza of bluegrass music and old-time culture that is the Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival the weekend of July 11–13.

As always, the weekend will draw in talented musicians who wish to compete in the various instrumental and dancing competitions for prize money and bragging rights, fans of the Heritage and Trailblazer award recipients and area families looking for a wholesome day of fun for all ages.

This year’s festival will expand to a second stage, this one bearing Uncle Dave’s nickname, The Dixie Dew Drop.

And in addition to a wealth of music, crafts and food packed into Cannonsburgh Village, the weekend will also include dance workshops, storytelling sessions, the traditional Saturday-morning motorless parade, an antique car show, a community services fair, a job fair and more.

Darrin Vincent, of this year’s Heritage Award winner, duo Dailey & Vincent, attended the Uncle Dave Macon Days festival in 2006 when his sister, Rhonda Vincent, accepted that year’s Heritage Award prize; Darrin will be back in the ’Boro this year, and now it’s his group in the spotlight.

“We are so thankful and humbled to receive that award,” said Vincent, who grew up in a family saturated in musical talent.

“We’d play with our dad and mom, with aunts and uncles at family gatherings,” he said. “The memories I have are just precious.”

Vincent, who spent a large chunk of his professional career as a member of (2013 UDMD Heritage Award winner) Ricky Skaggs’ band, partnered with Jamie Dailey, and performed their first show at the Ryman Auditorium, a heckuva venue for a group’s inaugural performance, no matter the member’s previous pedigrees.

“Dec. 29, 2007: That was our first paid gig as Dailey & Vincent,” Vincent said in a phone interview with the Murfreesboro Pulse while at an auto repair shop in West Virginia; the tour bus had blown a tire the night before while coming down a West Virginia mountainside, and they needed a replacement ASAP, as Dailey & Vincent was scheduled to perform in Florida the following day at the Panhandle Watermelon Festival.

Uncle Dave Macon was a traveling ambassador of string band music himself back in his day, and now a new book chronicling the entertainer’s career is available.

Uncle Dave Macon: A Photo Tribute, prepared, designed, written and published by direct descendants of Uncle Dave Macon as an authorized portrayal of his life, his music and his legacy, will be available for the first time to attendees of the Uncle Dave Macon Days festival.

The book includes 70 photographs printed in a glossy magazine format.

“Many of these images come from the Macon family’s private repository of Uncle Dave photos, artifacts and other documents,” says Michael D. Doubler, great-grandson of Macon and author of the book. Proceeds from Uncle Dave Macon: A Photo Tribute will benefit The Macon-Doubler Fellowship, which was formed in 1998 for the purpose of promoting old-time music and dance by providing scholarships to students of all ages for old-time music and dance lessons.

Also expanding the reach of the Uncle Dave Macon Days mission, the Macon Music organization focuses on educating children about traditional American musical roots through performances, curriculum and instruction by experts in old-time music and dance.

“I really wanted to see a bridge from the festival to the children. They are our future, but I wanted them to share in the heritage of traditional and old-time music,” says Gloria Christy, president of Uncle Dave Macon Days and creator of Macon Music Education.

Macon Music Education initiated a program celebrating six decades of music through band performances, dance and history, which it took to the elementary school students at Bradley Academy.

“Once we saw how the kids took to it, and saw that it was a success, we knew we had to create a bridge from Macon Music back to the festival,” Christy says. “I know Uncle Dave Macon would just be thrilled to see what we are doing.”

The inaugural Macon Music Day Camp will be held the week prior to the festival, culminating on Friday, the first day of Uncle Dave Macon Days. Approximately 40 elementary school children grades K through 6th will learn to clog, write songs, identify banjo styles and attend the demonstrations and activities for children at the festival.

Area musicians, dancers will teach the youngsters the ways of old-time music in this age of computers, synths and electronic music.

Vincent said he is encouraged by the popularity of acoustic music as of late, and has tremendous respect for the efforts of groups like Mumford and Sons, noting that their record won album of the year at the 2013 Grammys.

“That’s unbelievable to me; they are competing with rock bands,” Vincent said.

Although Mumford doesn’t play the strict, prototypical bluegrass style, the band is encouraging today’s generation to pick up their stringed instruments, and promote the message that electricity and computers are not necessary to be in a band.

This freedom from plugging in can allow the musician to carry his instrument of choice anywhere—under a shade tree at Uncle Dave Days, for example.

In addition to the competitions, awards presentations and attractions, many Uncle Dave fans enjoy the spontaneous jam sessions amongst friends and strangers alike that spring up throughout the weekend.

Tennessee Mafia Jug Band

Also joining the fun this year will be Leroy Troy, Roland White and The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, who will collectively receive the 2014 Trailblazer Award.

The 2014 festival will also see a fuller schedule of Sunday events, which will include performances by Kristina Craig, The Blue Laws, Chris Golden, Shotgun Rubies and Paul Williams and the Victory Trio, in addition to shape-note singing sessions, a sermon and an antique car show.

“This is the first time we’ve had professional acts to perform Sunday. And we’ve extended the hours so everyone can see all the new features we’ve added,” Christy said.

Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival photos by Cynthia Jones

2014 Uncle Dave Macon Days Schedule
Friday, July 11
10 a.m.
Start of Festival by Uncle Dave Macon Daze “Ad-hoc” Band (Main Stage)

10:30 a.m.
Mid-State Cloggers (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)

11 a.m.
Competitor Registration Opens

11:45 a.m.
Colors/Prayer (Official Start, Main Stage)

1 p.m.
Competitions Begin
Dulcimer (Main Stage)
Old-Time Singing Preliminaries (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)

Roland White

2 p.m.
Dobro (Main Stage)

3 p.m.
Beginning Instrumental (Main Stage)

4 p.m.
DeFord Bailey Harmonica (Main Stage)

5 p.m.
Buckdancing Junior Preliminaries (Main Stage)

6 p.m.
Trailblazer Award & Presentation:
Roland White, Leroy Troy and The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band (Main Stage)

7 p.m.
Clogging Junior Preliminaries (Main Stage)
Mid-State Cloggers (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)
Boro Storytellers (Under Gazebo, Matilda Macon Folks Arts Village)

7:30 p.m.
Old-Time Singing Finals (Main Stage)

8 p.m.
Buckdancing Junior Finals (Main Stage)

8:30 p.m.
Clogging Junior Finals (Main Stage)

8:45 p.m.
Blues Singing with Acoustic Instruments Finals (Main Stage)

9 p.m.
UDM Free Wheelin’ Style (Main Stage)
——
Saturday, July 12
8:30 a.m.
Competitor Registration Opens

9 a.m.
Competitions Begin:
Old-Time Buckdancing Adult Preliminaries (Main Stage)
Guitar Preliminaries (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)

10 a.m.
Old-Time Buckdancing Senior Preliminaries (Main Stage)
Gospel Singing (Cannonsburgh Chapel)
Contest Fiddle Preliminaries (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)

11 a.m.
Old-Time Clogging Adult Preliminaries (Main Stage)
Mandolin Preliminaries (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)

12 p.m.
Old-Time Clogging Senior Preliminaries (Main Stage)
Clogging Exhibition (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)
Bluegrass Banjo Preliminaries (Main Stage)
Mid-State Cloggers (Dixie Dew Drop Stage)
Traditional Fiddle Preliminaries (Main Stage)
Gospel Singing (Cannonsburgh Chapel)

1 p.m.
Old-Time Banjo Preliminaries (Main Stage)

3 p.m.
Heritage Award & Presentation:
Dailey & Vincent (Main Stage)

4:30 p.m.
Guitar Finals (Main Stage)

5 p.m.
Fiddle Finals (Main Stage)

5:30 p.m.
Mandolin Finals (Main Stage)

6 p.m.
Bluegrass Banjo Finals (Main Stage)

6:30 p.m.
Old-Time Buckdancing Adult Finals (Main Stage)

7 p.m.
Old-Time Buckdancing Senior FINALS (Main Stage)
Boro Storytellers (Under Gazebo, Matilda Macon Folks Arts Village)

7:30 p.m.
Old-Time Clogging Adult Finals (Main Stage)

8 p.m.
Old-Time Clogging Senior Finals (Main Stage)

8:15 p.m.
Old-Time Junior National Championship Presentation in Clogging & Buckdancing (Main Stage)

8:30 p.m.
Traditional Fiddle Finals (Main Stage)

9 p.m.
Old-Time Banjo Finals (Main Stage)

9:30 p.m.
Old-Time Band (Main Stage)

10 p.m.
Bluegrass Band (Main Stage)
——
Sunday, July 13
10 a.m.
Wilson Bank & Trust Antique Car Show Registration Begins

10:30 a.m.
Hymn Singing

11 a.m.
Pastor Mike Courtney

11:30 a.m.
BLT Band

Kristina Craig

12 p.m.
Community Services Fair
Job Fair Sponsored by Goodwill

12:15 p.m.
Kristina Craig Band

12:50 p.m.
Shotgun Rubies

1 p.m.
Chris Golden
Wilson Bank & Trust Antique Car Show Begins

1:30 p.m.
The BLUELAWS featuring Val Storey

2:30 p.m.
Paul Williams and the Victory Trio, presented by the Front Porch Fellowship

3:45 p.m.
Antique Car Show Awards Presentation

Cannonsburgh is located at
312 S. Front St.
For more information, visit uncledavemacondays.com

Looking for More Dailey & Vincent?
The weekend following their Uncle Dave Macon Days appearance, the group returns to the Mother Church of Country Music, performing at the Ryman Auditorium on July 17.

A Sept. 13 performance in Virginia, to be recorded for a CD, DVD and PBS television special, follows.

Then, a little Bluegrass Cruise launches Valentine’s Day 2015, leaving from Florida and hitting Cozumel and Belize.

“We encourage everybody to come join us on the cruise; it’s very peaceful out there on the water,” Vincent said, adding that all of the pickers and singers on board The Liberty of the Sea can participate in a big jam session with the musicians on the final day of the cruise.