Tennessee Fall Homecoming starts Oct. 12 at Museum of Appalachia

The Tennessee Fall Homecoming at the Museum of Appalachia next weekend will feature several award-winning bands making their first appearances, a press release said.

The new bands are Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers, Bobby Osborne and Rocky Top Express, and Darin & Brooke Aldridge. They will join hundreds of traditional musicians, singers, and buck dancers for the three-day event, the press release said.

The 33rd annual Tennessee Fall Homecoming is scheduled from Oct. 12-14 at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris. It’s one of the nation’s largest and most authentic music and folk festivals, and it features musicians performing all day on five outdoor stages.

They fill “the air with traditional mountain, folk, bluegrass, Gospel, and vintage country tunes,” the press release said.

The Homecoming also includes demonstrations of mountain skills, a large craft fair featuring authentic Appalachian artisans, and traditional Southern “comfort” foods.

The press release said Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out have “created a new and exciting tradition in modern bluegrass music.” The band has garnered more than 50 industry awards, including seven consecutive IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) awards for Vocal Group of the Year and Moore’s two IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year trophies.

Larry Sparks and The Lonesome Ramblers formed in 1969, and the band has remained “true to its roots for more than 40 years, playing bluegrass and Gospel music with an honest, straightforward style,” the release said. Sparks’ awards include the IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year and induction into the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

Also debuting at Homecoming are Darin and Brooke Aldridge, ”Sweethearts of Bluegrass” and one of the best duos on today’s acoustic scene, the release said. They were nominated in 2011 as Emerging Artist of the Year by the IBMA and as gospel group, album, and song of the year by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music (SPBGMA).

Here’s more information from the press release:

The 2012 festival lineup includes Leroy Troy, returning after a year’s absence. Well known as an old-time banjo player, he delights audiences with his comic routine. A regular weekly guest star on Marty Stuart’s RFD TV series, he records with the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band and has played at the Grand Ole Opry. Other returning performers include multiple award-winner Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; Dixie Gray, a Homecoming favorite with stunning harmonies; Dobro master Johnny Bellar; Paul Williams & The Victory Trio; Ramona Jones; Dale Jett of the famous Carter Family; Tom Brantley & Missionary Ridge; Summertown Reunion Band; Blue Moon Rising; Brand New Strings; Dismembered Tennesseans; and the Lantana Drifters.

Student Heritage Day, with special interactive programs for schoolchildren, will be Thursday, Oct. 11. This day of music, games, and learning is designed for public and private school groups, home-schooled groups, and individual parents and children. Three-day Homecoming tickets include admission to Student Heritage Day.

The Museum offers a picturesque backdrop for the annual festival, with dozens of historic log buildings, display halls filled with authentic artifacts, and gardens and farm animals surrounded by split-rail fences. All Homecoming proceeds further the Museum’s mission to preserve Appalachian history and heritage. A nonprofit organization since 2002, the Museum is an official affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

For Homecoming tickets, call (865) 494-7680 or buy tickets online at www.museumofappalachia.org. The Museum is located on I-75 at exit 122, then one mile east.