WELCOME
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Welcome to the official web site of the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA), a 501c3 nonprofit, volunteer-based organization serving Minnesota and the Midwest. Our mission is to preserve and promote bluegrass and old-time string band music in Minnesota.
Our activities include four annual festivals, plus numerous concerts, dances, jam sessions, workshops, and educational program. Our events and programs keep people who love to play and listen to traditional acoustic music busy all year around throughout the state of Minnesota. Check out our calendar of events for a full list of what is coming up. We encourage you to become a member of MBOTMA and welcome you at all of our events!
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It's not too early to get ready for the 2012 Winter Bluegrass Weekend: A Festival of Bluegrass & Old-Time Music & Dance at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West Hotel on March 2nd through 4th. This three day indoor event will be packed with stage shows by more than fifty groups in our Showcase of Bands. Plus dances in the Dance Hall, workshops, instrument exhibitors, the Gathering Place, the Grass Seeds Academy, and plenty of jam sessions. The Saturday Headline Concert will feature Steve Martin's current touring band The Steep Canyon Rangers! Get an overview of the entire event on our WBW page. Sign up to volunteer on the volunteer page. Order tickets on our tickets page. Find lodging and parking on our location page. It's all here, get it now!
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The 2012 Minnesota Bluegrass Community Concerts will feature some of Minnesota's favorite groups in concerts around the state. We'll be featuring The High 48s and The Cactus Blossoms in a big double bill night on Friday February 17th in Moose Lake and on Saturday February 18th in Bemidji.And the weekend after we'll feature Monroe Crossing in Grand Rapids on Friday February 24th (with Not Necessarily Bluegrass) and in Brainerd on Saturday February 25th (with Tim & Cindy Roggenkamp). |
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The 2012 Lonely Pines Concert Series continues this year with an exciting new group from Texas, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen. They will be in Maple Lake on Friday March 23rd and in Stillwater on Sunday March 25th. In between those dates they will spend the day at the Cabin Fever Festival in Duluth (see below). |
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The second annual Cabin Fever Festival will be in Duluth at the Radisson Lakeview Hotel on March 23-25, 2012. New this year - a Friday night "Duluth Live" open mic session at the Incline Station (across the street from the Radisson). Make your room reservation now, call the Radisson at 218-727-8981 and ask for the special Minnesota Bluegrass festival rate. |
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Can you believe it's already time to start thinking about the first outdoor festival of the summer, the Minnesota Homegrown Kickoff? It's 3 days of music and camping festival featuring regional bands performing bluegrass, old-time stringband, and related forms of acoustic music. 20 bands are expected to perform on the main stage on June 1-3, 2012 at El Rancho Mañana. Advance tickets are now available. |
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The MBOTMA Festival Staff is busy getting ready for the 33rd annual Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Festival at El Rancho Mañana. This four-day music and camping festival is scheduled for August 9-12, and this committee of volunteers is hard at work assembling another award winning line-up of talent. Get the latest news on who is scheduled to appear on our "About the Bands" page.
Early Bird Ticket Special - Now on sale through the month of January. Get the best price you will see all year on our four day ticket package for members and non-members alike. Click Here to see details and order. Or call us at 800-635-3037 (now you can call from Canada too).
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The Harvest Jam Acoustic Music Experience was held at the Marriott Minneapolis West Hotel on November 18th to 20th, 2011. There were ballroom concerts both Friday and Saturday night featuring Druha Trava from the Czech Republic, The High 48s, Bill Geezy & The New Deal, and SweetGrass. No Grass Limit turned out to be the new Race For A Place Band Contest Champions on Saturday afternoon. And everyone enjoyed the Saturday evening Banquet Dinner, the "Business of Bands" workshop series, Kip's Live, the music vendors, the Sunday morning gospel show, and all the jam sessions everywhere and all the time (including the new Hayloft Jam Rooms on the second floor). Thank you to all the volunteers too!
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Funding for Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Assocation events is provided in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and private funders. |
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