Southern Festivals
Featured Festival

Southern Festivals News Service

It's a perfect fit. The Nothin' Fancy Festival to be held September 26-28, 2002 in the town of Buena Vista, Virginia, combines age-old music with a grand view of the Blue Ridge mountains. In fact, the town sits on the western slopes of the Blue Ridge, Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway ,and follows a natural path toward the Maury River. Two forests-Jefferson and Washington National Forests-partially surround the town.

Sitting above the town, Glenn Maury Park provides a scenic spot for respite and rejuvenation of the mind and the body. Festival goers will not only get to hear some of the most popular, award-winning bluegrass bands on the national scene like Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, IIIrd Tyme Out, Mountain Heart, The James King Band, Missy Raines and Jim Hurst, Charlie Waller and the Country Gentlemen, The Mark Newton Band and The Grass hoppers, but they also will be treated to a variety of regional talents such as The White Sands Panhandle Band, Jim & Jenny and the Pinetops, Fastest Grass Alive, Jenni lynn and New-Grass and local bands Against the Grain, In The tradition, The Ruley Brothers, The Deer Creek Boys and Diana and The Tabsco Boys. One of the bands to watch and listen for, is the festival's namesake band-the Nothin' Fancy Band. Born in the Shenandoah Valley but destined for national acclaim.

For history buffs, a trip to Rockbridge County, with or without the added pleasure of a top-notch bluegrass festival, will surely serve to delight and inform. The county was first settled by German and Scottish immigrants in the 1730s, and was named after a natural rock bridge in the southernmost part of the county. George Washington surveyed that area and left his signature on a rock at The Natural Bridge-one of the natural wonders of the world.

Other men who shaped American history who have seen the views and enjoyed life in Rockbridge County include Robert E. Lee, Robert Custis Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Cyrus McCormick, and Sam Houston. Jackson and Lee are buried in Lexington-a nearby town.

Civil war buffs will especially love to soak in the history of the area. Lexington serves as the home to the Virginia Military Institute, where a fine museum in the chapel has national treasures on display. The cadets of VMI marched to New Market during the Civil War, and a mural in the front of the chapel illustrates the youth and loyalty of the men during that time. Usually, the cadets form ranks and march on the parade grounds every Friday afternoon. School will be in session, and this is one fine military show. VMI also features The George C. Marshal Museum, a tribute to the great General from World War II.

Lexington is also the home of Washington and Lee University, endowed by George Washington and now over 250 years old.. Robert E. Lee served as its president for five years after the Civil War. Robert E. Lee and his Family are interred in the chapel. The Lee Chapel is definitely worth a visit.

For those outdoor adventurists, kayaking and canoeing outfitters abound-ready to equip you for a day on a local river or lake. Hikers can get away from the crowds on the Appalachian trail located near Buena Vista, or find photographic opportunities at several waterfalls-Staton's Falls, Panther Falls, and Crabtree Falls.

Antiques stores, museums, art galleries, quaint restaurants and friendly people just add more to the overall pleasure that a trip to this part of the country during the end of September can offer. What better way is there to unwind than to listen to some fine music on an autumn day in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

For more information call (540) 464-5011 or (540) 463-235 or E mail Us