Iowa Performers Get Big-Time Welcome To National Stage

The only 'National" festival taking place in the State of Iowa, that focuses on Iowa's traditional pioneer music has taken a step forward this year, in welcoming Iowa performers of the early 'covered wagon music' that came to the state in it's earliest days of settlement.

"We've been honoring a considerable number of out-of-state and out-of-country performers of early traditional country and rural music," Bob Everhart the founder of the event said.

"This year, our 43rd year of doing this event, we are focusing our interest and effort on performers that still find pleasure and significance to the music our pioneers left behind. In those days gone by, it was a very sharing experience. It's far different today, and of course the 'subject matter' has switched from cows, corn, and civilized behavior to a kind of all-inclusive 'pop' oriented music that focuses on just about everything but the farm, or at least rural America. One thing has remained from the pioneers however, the 'sharing' experience, which our Iowa performers still keep at the top of their list."

Everhart founded the event 43 years ago in Council Bluffs, Iowa. "We volunteered to do the event as a Bicentennial event in 1976. When it was over, no one wanted to volunteer to continue it. I did. We're now 43 years later and it's remarkable the huge number of celebrities in country, bluegrass, and folk music who have found their way to Iowa, to participate in Hall of Fame honors, CD of the Year honors, Lifetime Achievement honors, and Living Legend honors. Forty-three years is a long time to focus attention on those that have been very successful in the music business, but sometimes those that have not reached those heights of wonder are just as good, and certainly more devoted to the musical genre. It still takes seven days and ten stages to accommodate the many artists that come to perform. The number changes every year, but it's still right at 350 performers from around the world. Iowa of course is the 'leader of the pack' when it comes to authentic old-time, traditional, and classic country music. However this also holds true for many other genres of music, folk music, bluegrass music, music of many different nationalities that settled in Iowa, and certainly the music of those coming east in covered wagons from the Appalachian Mountains that brought their music with them. That included a huge amount of Gospel music since a majority percentage of the settlers were Christians."

Dates for this year's event is August 27-September 2nd at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds in LeMars, Iowa.

"We've always needed a large facility to do this event," Everhart said, "we have a high number of RV campers coming from all across Mid-America. They need a comfortable place to park, hook on to electricity, and in the doing, spend huge amounts of money in the city they are temporarily residing in. This 'older' style of American music is most appealing to an older audience, but we make sure any young person under the age of 18 that might want to 'hear' what it's all about, and why it's still around, gets in free. We also have seven days of workshops to help anyone interested in any of the musical instruments of the pioneers, and learn how to play them. This has always worked well for us, but today America seems to be in a state of flux that has 'twisted' the terms freedom of speech (as well as writing it in a song), and it makes it difficult for us to even do a song-writing workshop for fear we might compromise someone's sensitive feelings. Still, we have songwriting workshops every day of the festival, some of them conducted by serious and successful songwriters."

Iowans who have been selected to participate this year include: Annie & Terri Avery from Rowan; Allyn Anderson from LeMars; Earl Binns from Winterset; Paul Burnett from LeMars; Rick Borg from Sioux City; Cynthia DeMarco from Boone; John & Marjorie Duttweiller from West Burlington; Terry Durr from LeMars; Ron Dupuy from Creston; Downhome Dulcimers from Silver City; Dale & Caroline Eichor from Fort Dodge; Bob & Sheila Everhart from Anita; Paul Fay from Lenox; Barb & Dale Frazier from Harlan; Sandy Good from Decorah; David Green from Avoca; Marlene Gearke from LeMars; Dale & Jeanne Heeren from Monticello; Jim Hughes from Danville; Eldon Hardekopf from Denison; Greg Haverdink from Orange City; Francis & Jeannie Hahn from Mapleton; Chari & Louie Heldenbrand from Linden; Mark Jenkins from Washta; Stanley Knipfer from Keosauqua; Jack Langley from Sioux City; Fred Larson from Council Bluffs; Rayne Magill from Council Bluffs; Shirley McCord from Danville; Matney Sisters from Sioux City; Keith Miller from Sioux City; Russ Nordman from Ottumwa; Walt Peterson from Sioux City; Ervin Pickhinke from Sioux City; Big john & Connie Pedersen from Ledyard; Storm Seymour from Tama; Don & Carolyn Schleis from Danbury; Todd Souhrada from Allison; Bob Sweeney from Sioux City; Fred & Dorothy Techau from Silver City; Frank Tuma from Havelock; Don Taft from Granger; Darrell Veencamp from Cherokee; Don Wrolson from Hampton; and Gary & Janet Wiedeman from Griswold.

According to Everhart, "These are the gifted music makers that have kept this festival alive for forty-three years. We owe them far more than the honors we place before celebrities."

"Forty-three years is a long time to conduct a 'national' music event in the State of Iowa. As volunteers, my wife Sheila and myself wonder how much longer we can do this kind of event without some small token of financial support. Mostly we have received 'talent' from Iowa, however much of the festival financial support comes from outside the state, however membership in the 501(c)3 non-profit group the National Traditional Country Music Association, has also helped us keep the event alive and free of debt for 43 years. Sheila and I record for the Smithsonian Institution which has been our personal source of income over the years, and we are still busy doing that. On the other hand, we're still looking forward to a few more years conducting this one-of-a-kind festival, but we sure do need additional volunteer help setting it up and tearing it down annually."

The NTCMA has a website at www.music-savers.com