Bluegrass fest enjoying its Naperville home
When people think about bluegrass music, the city of Naperville probably doesn't leap into their minds.
But organizers of the 16th annual Indoor Bluegrass Music Festival say the two have become quite a good match.
"We've always done well in this location," said Jan Lease, who produces the event with her husband, Terry. The couple lives near Springfield. "There seems to be a true appreciation for this music in the Chicago area."
The festival, which got under way Friday, ends today with two morning shows at the Holiday Inn Select at 1801 Naper Blvd., Naperville. Tickets for the Sunday shows cost $5.
In addition to the dozen or so bluegrass bands that performed throughout the weekend, the festival included instrument workshops and vendors selling bluegrass records, books and clothing.
On Saturday afternoon, Donna Ulisse & the Poor Mountain Boys played to a nearly full ballroom, the first of two shows the group had scheduled for the day. The crowd responded enthusiastically to Ulisse's warm singing and the band's traditional banjo-guitar-bass-mandolin sound.
"I think people are ready to hear 'story songs' again," Ulisse said after her set. "I think bluegrass remains popular because it's music that just about anyone can really relate to."
For more on the festival, visit bluegrassmidwest.com.