Uncle Dave Macon Days July 13 - 15th

Jun 25, 2012 at 01:05 pm by bryan


The annual Uncle Dave Macon Days, one of the oldest traditional music and dance festivals in the Southeast, will be held July 13 through 15, three days of family-oriented fun at Cannonsburgh, 312 S. Front St., a historic village of more than 20 restored structures.

   The event features music and dance contests, with more than $10,000 in prizes and includes three national championship competitions s in old-time banjo, old-time buck dancing and old-time clogging.

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   Established to honor the memory of Uncle Dave Macon and the era in which he lived, the weekend celebration draws between 25,000 and 30,000 people annually.
 

   It provides a financial impact of slightly more than $2 million, the Rutherford County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau reports.
   David Harrison “Uncle Dave” Macon, also known as “The Dixie Dewdrop,” lived near Murfreesboro and is considered one of the first Grand Ole Opry superstars. A master banjo player and entertainer, he performed until the week of his death in 1952 and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966.

   Grand Ole Opry performer star Mike Snider will be presented the festival’s Heritage Award July 14 at 7 p.m.; he will perform several examples of old-time banjo playing and comedy, capturing the free-wheelin’ spirit Uncle Dave embodied on stage.

   The festival’s Trailblazer Award will be presented to J.D. Crowe July 13 at 7 p.m. Following the presentation, Crowe will perform his innovative bluegrass picking style.

    Other special events will includemore than three-decades of memorabilia and photos associated with the celebration collected and preserved through the efforts of Festival President Gloria Christy and Rutherford County archivist John Lodl.
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