Nine days of music to culminate with Ramona Bluegrass Festival

By Karen Brainard

Ramona will be the scene of nine days and nights of music events between late April and early May, Rob Lewallen, co-chair of the Ramona Bluegrass and Old West Fest, announced during the Ramona Design Review Board meeting.

With Ramona Music Fest set for Saturday, April 27, and the bluegrass festival scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5, plans are to add music events for “six days in between in different places in Ramona,” Lewallen said

The sixth annual Ramona Music Fest is a charity event sponsored by the Ramona Rotary Club and the Kiwanis Club of Ramona at Dos Picos County Park.

This will be the fourth year for the Ramona Bluegrass and Old West Fest, created by Lewallen and co-chair Chris Anderson. The 19 hours of music is held at the Ramona Outdoor Community Center.

“It’s a really big event for Ramona,” Lewallen said at the Feb. 28 meeting. He and Anderson are design review board members.

The co-chairs are enthusiastic about some new activities planned for this year’s bluegrass fest.

Over by the rodeo arena, Lewallen said, they will have a historical encampment with mountain men, Civil War-era folks, and cowboys. Visitors will be able to visit their camps, and talk and learn about life in the 1800s.

On a nearby stage will be Old West music and cowboy poets.

Anderson said there will be a kid’s corner with animals and children-oriented barrel racing.

There will also be “really good food vendors,” she added. Music workshops will also be conducted.

On Saturday night, May 4, Lewallen said they will have a dance band — Hot Club of Cow Town — from Austin, Texas.

The festival committee is still solidifying commitments with bands but will have a variety of bluegrass entertainers on two stages through the two days.

Camp spots will be available where often fireside storytelling and impromptu break-out jams can be found. Lewallen said he hopes to draw 300 to 400 campers.

He and Anderson said they are looking for more event sponsors.

Entertainment hours for the bluegrass festival will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 4, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 5.

For more information about the festival, becoming a sponsor, and ticket pricing, see ramonabluegrassfest.com.