IF YOU GO
WHAT: Miami Valley Brewgrass Festival
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Riverfront Park, 3 N. Miami Ave., Miamisburg
COST: $10 in advance at www.miamivalleybrewgrass.com until Friday afternoon; $15 at the door. Those under 18 will be admitted free.
PARKING: In lots adjacent to the park, downtown and surrounding areas
BRING: Lawn chairs and blankets
MUSICAL LINEUP
The Great Wide Open, 11:30 to noon
Mad River Railroad, 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.
My Brothers Keeper, 1 to 1:30 p.m.
Buffalo Wass & The Price Hill Hustle, 1:50 to 2:20 p.m.
Evan Lanier & The Bluegrass Express, 2:40 to 3:10 p.m.
The Repeating Arms, 3:30 to 4 p.m.
Paleface, 4:20 to 5 p.m.
Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Nightflyer, 7 to 8 p.m.
The Clay Hess Band, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Mountain Heart, 10 to 11:30 p.m.
The first concert at Miamisburg’s Riverfront Park to permit the sale of alcoholic beverages and to charge admission — Saturday’s Miami Valley Brewgrass Festival — is a pilot event, according to the city.
The 12-hour concert — also in its first year — will feature national, regional and local acts. It also will give city officials and the community a sense of whether to proceed with similarly structured events, said Debbie McLaughlin, Miamisburg parks and recreation director.
“We’ll evaluate afterward and determine: Is this a good addition to our events?” she said. “Are their tweaks, modifications? Is this something we want to continue (or) not continue and with what changes?”
Tickets are $10 in advance at www.miamivalleybrewgrass.com until Friday afternoon and $15 at the gate. Beer tickets will be sold separately, McLaughlin said.
The concert, organizer and Miamisburg native Max Nunery said, will be “family friendly” and will help attract more people to downtown, something both city officials and the business community support. That is why after he approached Miamisburg City Councilwoman Sarah Clark, officials showed that “they’re willing and they’re trying to do some new things downtown,” Nunery said.
The concert will give people a better appreciation for bluegrass music, which has a deep history in southwest Ohio, said Nunery.
“The history of bluegrass in the area is one that’s full and rich,” he said. “And I just wanted — for the benefit of Miamisburg and surrounding communities, if they want to enjoy and celebrate that culture — to enlighten people on how much there is in this area,” Nunery added.
The 32-year-old banjo player’s band, The Repeating Arms, is one of 11 acts set to play during the concert, which is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Aside from the musical entertainment, several food and beverage vendors — as well as non-food vendors — will be on hand, he said.
Nunery said he looking to Saturday’s concert as the first of what will become an annual event in downtown Miamisburg.
“I just want to encourage people to come out and enjoy the day and really help this festival get off the ground,” he said, “and become something that can really turn into a great event — not only for Miamisburg, but for the whole southwest Ohio area.”
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