Flatt Lonesome
The Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival gathers more than 25,000 people to Murfreesboro each year for a hearty helping of fun, Southern style. Uncle Dave Macon Days organizers have recently announced plans for the 2016 festival. At Cannonsburgh Village on Fri., July 8, Uncle Dave Macon Days Music and Arts Festival officially begins, continuing through the evening of Sat., July 9, with the best in entertainment and national competitions in old-time music and dance.
New for 2016 is an attempt to break the Guinness record for the World’s Largest Square Dance. On the evening of Thurs., July 7, Marcia Campbell from the Grand Ole Opry Dancers and WSM 650 AM will lead this endeavor on the Public Square in Murfreesboro. While the square dance is the official dance of Tennessee, the record for the World’s Largest Square Dance is currently held by a group in Yorkville, Ill. This free event on the opening day will kick off Uncle Dave Macon Days 2016 and bring the festival’s music and dancing back to the Square where it all began nearly 40 years ago.
At Cannonsburgh on Friday, July 8, Uncle Dave Macon Days Music and Arts Festival continues with the best in entertainment and national competitions in 0ld-time music and dance.
The 2016 Trailblazer Award will be presented to The Boxcars at 7 p.m. July 8, followed by a Boxcars performance. The following evening, Sat., July 9, will be the award presentation and performance of the 2016 Heritage Award winner, the beloved Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver.
Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
Other scheduled acts include Flatt Lonesome, The Grascals, The Church Sisters and Lonesome River Band.
Scheduled throughout the festival’s national competitions are the best performers in old-time music and dance, drawing not only local competitors but also national and international participants.
The Motorless Parade, complete with buggies and wagons making their way down historic Main Street, will continue its tradition at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. Other festival activities include heritage activities for children, delicious local concessions, Dave Macon’s Marketplace, a juried arts and crafts show in Matilda Macon’s Artisan Village and a historic photo exhibit.
Boxcars
The festival also features and honors individuals who have had a lifetime career perpetuating and promoting traditional “roots” music with the presentation of the Uncle Dave Macon Days Heritage Award. In addition, the Uncle Dave Macon Trailblazer Award is given to significant innovators, honoring old and new artists in bluegrass and old-time styles. Past award winners have been such notables as Bill Monroe, Roy Acuff, Marty Stuart, Grandpa and Ramona Jones, Mike Seeger, Bashful Brother Oswald, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White, Dailey & Vincent, the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, Ralph Stanley and The SteelDrivers.
The celebration takes place at Cannonsburgh, a genuine pioneer village, located at 312 S. Front St. in Murfreesboro. For more information, visit uncledavemacondays.com or email sponsorudm@gmail.com.
