Bluegrass festival starts Thursday

One of Alaska's biggest parties kicks off tomorrow, as the 21st annual Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival gets up and running.

The festival will again take place at Mile 102 Parks Hwy., but this year's event promises to be even bigger and better than in the past, said organizer Cora Moses.

"We've got 41 bands, camping facilities, showers, an RV dump facility, and a more secluded area for family camping," Moses said. "And this year, we have 54 toilets. That should please some people."

There is road construction along the Parks Highway heading north, so Moses warns festival-goers to plan for some extra time.

Once at the festival, music lovers will be treated to 41 bands playing around the clock. There are a total of 180 musicians coming, and most are eager to play.

"They look forward to it every year, just like the people going to the festival do," Moses said.

The Cleary Brothers Band is one of the headliners of the festival. They are a "psychedelic bluegrass band from Vermont known for their flat-top banjo picking," Moses said. They are comprised of Joe and John Cleary, Heavy Washburn, Bo Stapleton and Brian Burns.

Another top act that is appearing at the Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival is Blueshadows, comprised of Bill Bateman, Jake Mattson, Jody Oxenrider and Rick Moses. They are a Delta-style blues band. Mattson fills Blues Central in Anchorage every time he plays, and that was one reason Moses wanted the band to play.

"There's some local flavor there, and they are very, very good," Moses said.

All of Alaska's top bands are playing at the festival. Some are bar bands that people are very familiar with, but there will be a bit of a twist.

"We tried to get festival-style bands, or to encourage bar bands to open their sets up and play more of a festival style," Moses said.

The sound should be exceptional this year. Alaska Sound Labs, which many musicians consider the best sound company in Alaska, is doing all the sound work.

Throughout the four-day festival, events will take place in the main area. On Thursday, the band Mosaic is hosting a CD release party. On Friday, Monica Lettner's birthday will be celebrated. Saturday is "Big Band Day," while Sunday is being touted as "Grand FinalŽ Day."

And if you can't make it to the festival in person, Moses said there is still a way to enjoy the music. A radio station -- KTBG -- will be in Talkeetna and broadcasting the festival on the air. The frequency is 93.7 on the FM dial.