Wytheville Community College is pleased to bring back the free monthly Bluegrass and Old-Time Jamboree after a long break due to COVID-19 health concerns. This month the Jamboree will feature Jerry Steinberg and His Dixie Bluegrass Boys and The New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters on Saturday, January 15, 2022, from 7-9 p.m. The Jamboree will be held in the William F. Snyder Auditorium on the WCC campus in Wytheville, located at 1000 East Main Street. Attendees are required to wear a face-covering regardless of vaccination status and practice social distancing.

Jerry Steinberg and His Dixie Bluegrass Boys are a traditional style group that has been playing for 14 years in the Virginia and North Carolina area. The group performs old-time, country and bluegrass music for dances and concerts. The band members are Jackson Cunningham on guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jeff Michael on fiddle; Ramona Church on five-string banjo, guitar and vocals; and Jerry Steinberg on bass fiddle.

The New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters took their name, in part, from the original Bogtrotters of the 1930s and because band leader Dennis Hall lives on Ballards Branch. Dennis' home is very close to the home of Uncle Eck Dunford who played fiddle in the original band. The other members of the original Bogtrotters were Uncle Wade Ward, his brother, Davy Crockett Ward, and nephew Fields Ward, and Doctor Davis.

The New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters play in the traditional Appalachian string-band style, often performing around the region and internationally. The Bogtrotters include Eddie Bond, NEA National Heritage Fellow, on fiddle; Uncle Dennis Hall on guitar; Josh Ellis on clawhammer banjo; Bonnie Bond on bass; and Caroline Noel Beverley on mandolin.

Doors to the Snyder Auditorium will be open beginning at 6 p.m., with music beginning at 7 p.m., Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted to help defray the travel expenses of the bands.

The WCC Bluegrass and Old-Time Jamboree was first organized in 2006. The event is hosted by WCC English faculty member, Jason Settle, whom you may find playing the fiddle along with one of the bands. The WCC Jamboree is an affiliated venue of The Crooked Road.

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