BECKLEY, W.Va. — Several thousand attendees are expected to gather Oct. 14-15 at the Cascade Festival Grounds in downtown Fayetteville for a second year of music, art, craft beer and delicious food.
Headlining this year are Southern Rock genre pioneers The Kentucky Headhunters.
Bill Wells, co-founder of the performance series, which coincides with annual Bridge Day festivities, said response is exceeding expectations.
“However, we’ve accomplished much more in this second year in terms of attracting an audience — adding camping, coordinating with local events, and building on the area’s strength as an outdoor-recreation destination.”
Bridge Jam will feature performances on a full stage near the historic district in Fayetteville as well as a late night bonfire venue.
The festival has expanded to a two-day event this year allowing for camping both Friday and Saturday nights. The music will get under way Friday at 8:30 p.m. with cutting-edge modern bluegrass band The Grascals and start back up Saturday at 12:30 p.m. with alternative country band Matt Mullins & The Bringdowns.
The event coincides with Fayetteville’s annual Bridge Day festivities which occur less than 3 miles away and attract upwards of 80,000 people annually. Bridge Day kicks off at 9 a.m. Saturday, so those attending the festival can enjoy the action at the bridge before heading back over to Cascade Festival Grounds for a day of music.
“Fayetteville just has magic about it,” said Mullins, whose band will perform songs from its “Family. Music. Beer.” album. “And this is such a cool venue with a great location near the bridge. We’re excited to be a part of it.”
John Inghram’s Slugfest will take the stage at 2:30 p.m., Travers Brothership at 4:30 p.m., John Ellison & The Carpenter Ants at 6:30 p.m. and headliner The Kentucky Headhunters at 8:30 p.m.
John Ellison, a West Virginia native, is best known as the writer of “Some Kind of Wonderful,” a song made popular by Grand Funk Railroad, and The Kentucky Headhunters are known for many songs including “Dumas Walker,” “Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine,” and “Oh Lonesome Me.”
Other Bridge Jam events will include yoga workshops and the nearby New River Plein Air Art Festival that features the work of area artists and draws on the New River Gorge region for inspiration.
Admission for Friday evening’s performances will be $15 at the gate or $12.50 in advance; Saturday admission will be $30 at the gate or $25 in advance; and for both days it will be $45 at the gate or $37.50 in advance.
On-site accommodations for tents near the performance area will be $125 and will include two admission tickets and portable toilets. On-site accommodations for RVs will be $175 and will include four tickets, portable toilets, but no hook-ups.
Bridge Jam will donate 25 percent of proceeds to the Fayetteville Rotary Club, the Fayetteville Arts Coalition, and the New River Gorge Trail Alliance.
Event sponsors include Miller-Coors, Pies & Pints, Bridge Brew Works, BB&T, Capital Beverage Company, Quality Inn, United Bank, ACE Adventure Resort, Secret Sandwich Society, Priority Ambulance Service.
For more information or to buy discounted tickets, visit theBridgeJam.com.
Email: splummer@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @Sarah_E_Plummer