MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS) - Pleasant, mild weather is making this year’s Uncle Dave Macon Days feel downright magical. With highs in the 80s and lows around 70, folks at Hop Springs are enjoying the kind of September weekend that just begs you to stay a little longer, listen a little closer, and soak in the music and memories. Friday is now history, but the celebration rolls on. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Uncle Dave’s claw‑hammer banjo style or discovering roots music for the first time, there’s something here that feels like home.
The festival continues until 10:00 p.m. Saturday night, giving families and music lovers a full evening of bluegrass, Americana, roots music, great food, and craft beer. Then on Sunday from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m., Hop Springs hosts the festival’s Gospel Showcase — a tradition that brings voices together in praise, harmony, and heartfelt reflection.
And part of that feeling comes from the land itself. Once a year, our community pauses to remember the pioneers who crossed the Alleghenies and pressed through the dense forests of the Cumberland River Valley. Tiny cabins once dotted this landscape, families carved out farms, and those farms grew into the communities we cherish today. After a long summer of hard work, folks would gather on porches and under shade trees, bringing out the banjo and fiddle to celebrate the harvest. The Almighty had been good and faithful — and they were thankful for everything.
Hop Springs sits directly across from Uncle Dave’s own homeplace in the Coleman Community and the quiet hillside of Coleman Cemetery where he is buried. You can’t manufacture that kind of authenticity. When families enjoy wagon rides, contests, and the Artisan Village, they’re standing in the middle of Uncle Dave’s world — the mule‑drawn routes he traveled, the whittlers he sang with on the Murfreesboro square, the stories he carried to the Grand Ole Opry.
Uncle Dave Macon Days President Gloria Christy summed it up beautifully, “Enjoy a glimpse of the Days Gone By! It’s time to make new friends, celebrate family, and blend the old songs with the new near the rolling hills and ravine at Hop Springs. Ya’ll come!”
Admission is free, and parking is just $10 per vehicle. It’s a weekend of music, heritage, and homegrown fun, wrapped in perfect weather and the spirit of Middle Tennessee.
