Sounds of Old, New Appalachia to Echo Through This Year’s Townsend Spring Festival

For locals and visitors to the Smoky Mountains, the sights, scents and especially sounds of the 21st Annual Townsend in the Smokies Spring Festival and Old Timers Day will provide an old-time, Appalachian setting on May 3 and 4.

While demonstrations act as eye-catching tutorials bringing old Appalachia to life and traditional Southern food attract and satisfy the cravings of many, the sounds of bluegrass music ringing through the air has become the heart of the two-day festival.

“There is so much to enjoy at the annual spring festival in Townsend, but it’s the toe-tapping bluegrass music that keeps bringing so many back each year,” said Carolyn Roach, Festival Chair.

The spring festival showcases both traditional and modern bluegrass music through featured concerts and other performances, as well as ever-popular, impromptu jam sessions throughout the festival grounds. Festival-goers are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs from home, sit back, relax and enjoy the sounds of old and new Appalachia.

From 11 a.m. until after 9 p.m., the festival’s stage will showcase the talent of many local and regional bands with bluegrass flare can bring a crowd to its feet and have everyone clapping in time.

This year’s festival will present the unique sounds and musical talent of bands, including Pleasant Valley Boys, Blackberry Jam, Notchey Creek, Carolina Bluegrass, Jay Tipton Band, Rocky River, Larry Hobbs and Company, Appalachian Bluegrass, Carolina Back Roads, Steve Jordan Band, Mike Clemmer Dulcimer, South of the River Boys, Walking in Tradition, Blue Streaks, the Wilson Family, Thankful Heart, Catoosa Canyon and the Ingram Family.

Musical performances will not only take place on the festival grounds. Some of Townsend’s attractions, including the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, will be host to bluegrass music during the two-day, Smoky Mountain celebration.

On Friday at 7 p.m., the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center will feature the East Tennessee band, Pistol Creek Catch of the Day, and its self-described sound as Americana meets Rockabilly meets Western Swing. Admission to the concert $5 per person but is free for all Heritage Center members.

A performance featuring the Old Harp Singers showcasing their harmonious sounds will take place in front of the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center on Saturday from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Roach said that it’s such a heart-warming moment to see young and old bluegrass musicians come together, bridge the generation gap, and showcase their talent for all to enjoy during the spring festival.

About the 21st Annual Townsend in the Smokies Spring Festival and Old Timers Day

The Townsend in the Smokies Spring Festival and Old Timers Day, May 3-4, 2013, takes place on the grounds of the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Townsend, located at 7906 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway. The event is free and family-oriented. Pets are no longer permitted on the festival grounds; and this will be strictly enforced for the health and safety of both people and pets.

Festival sponsors include Premier Sponsors: Laurel Valley Resort, WIVK-FM, Knoxville Coca-Cola and The Daily Times; Silver Sponsor: Great Smoky Mountains Association; Friends Sponsors: Townsend Great Smokies KOA, Bearly Rustic Cabin Rentals, Big Meadow Family Campground, Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop, Pioneer Cabins and Guest Farm, Carriage House Restaurant, Misty River Cabins & RV Resort, Townsend Shopping Center and Keep Blount Beautiful; and Jammer’s Tent Sponsor: BB&T Townsend.

For more information on the Townsend in the Smokies Spring Festival and Old Timers Day, including updates on the schedule, please call the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority at (800) 525-6834 or (865) 448-6134 or visit smokymountains.org or smokymountainfestivals.org.

About Blount County, TennesseeBlount County, Tennessee is located just south of Knoxville at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The communities that make up Blount County—Townsend, Maryville, Alcoa, Friendsville, Louisville and Rockford – provide visitors with an abundance of outdoor activities, attractions and regular celebrations of the region’s rich Appalachian heritage and culture. Blount County is also home to the nation’s most visited national park—the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

For more information about Blount County, please contact the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority at (800) 525-6834 or visit www.SmokyMountains.org. Follow the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority at www.Facebook.com/PeacefulSide and Twitter.com/PeacefulSmokies.

If you are in the area, please stop in to the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Townsend, located at 7906 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, or the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Maryville, located at 201 South Washington Street, for more information.