Bluegrass at The Blue

By Ethan Nahté

Summer may not be for another four weeks, but many consider the Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial kick-off to summer. For some camping, food and music are all a part of the weekend. In this instance, it’s live music with some pro bands.

For those of you out of town or out of state who enjoy all of the above, make your way to the Ouachita Mountains this weekend.

For the local folks, you might not want to camp, but then again, maybe you’re itching to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors while watching the sun set behind the peaks and looking up into a starry night sky while cattle low in the background.

All of the above will be taking place at The Blue Zipline & Farm’s Bull Pasture Amphitheater. If you’ve not been out to the Ink location in a while, Shelly Alston and crew built a good-sized stage around the time of their Ouachita Bigfoot Festival last year. Slowly, but surely, they’ve been improving upon it.

Bring your lawn chairs out for an evening of great music with headliners Finley River Boys out of Branson. Banjo picker Gary Shipley is in the Missouri Bluegrass Hall of Fame. The quartet regularly performs shows for the demanding audience that comes from around the world to enjoy what Branson has to offer, and the Finley River Boys give them a taste of what bluegrass music is all about. Alston said they perform on occasion at Silver Dollar City and tour nationally.

The opening act is the trio known as The Smooth Jaspers. If you guessed they are from the general area of Harrison/Jasper area of Arkansas, then you are correct. When they perform as a five-piece, they are known as Greenland Station and also perform in Branson.

There will also be two days of bluegrass jams around the area where the HSO will be working a concession stand, cooking hot dogs, burgers and nachos to raise money, the fire pit and storytelling take place, and the campsites are an easy walk across fields and pastures.

Tickets are $17, available via phone at 479-216-8639, or online at BlueZipLineFarm.com/. You can also pay $20 at the gate, but if you are planning to camp, calling ahead is suggested. Camping is $8 total for both nights. See the website for details.

The Blue is located at 142 Polk Road 185 in Ink. Turn by their sign by the old Ink store and carefully make your way down the narrow road. When it comes to a T-intersection, turn left onto the dirt road and follow it around for a half-mile or so and there will be another T-intersection. Turn right and you can’t miss the signs and parking area.

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Ethan Nahté

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