Merle Fest: A destination like no other
Merle Watson was a young musician, son of “Doc” Watson, when he died. In memory of his lost son, “Doc” created an annual music festival to celebrate the music that has made “Doc” a legend in the folk music scene. The festival began as a small gathering which used a flatbed truck for the main stage. Musicians played guitars, banjos, fiddles, and dulcimers, to a small audience of mostly local folks.
But the festival grew in popularity over the years, and now it is home to thousands of people who come from near and far to hear old time, bluegrass, and folk music played in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Wilkes Barre, NC. Famous names including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Earl Scruggs have played the stages and shared them with musicians like Natalie MacMaster, Bella Fleck, and Arlo Guthrie, who are still well known in their own right. The festival takes place on the campus of a local community college, is well organized, and is one of the only festivals in the country that attracts a big “family” crowd, and prohibits alcohol on the premises. Local members of the Rescue Squad, the public schools, and the various churches work alongside big corporate sponsors to supply the throngs with food and beverages, and many artists and crafts people show and sell their wares under lines of tents set up for that purpose.
Camping is also available for the many festival attendees who come from a long way away and prefer to sleep under the stars during the festival. For more info and details about attending the festival, visit the Merle Fest website, or call the Chamber of Commerce or the local tourist board in Wilkes County, NC.