Wilkesboro, USA - Wilkes Community College will present MerleFest 2003, the largest bluegrass music festival in the United States. This is the 16th annual festival in celebration of the music of the late Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson. The festival takes place on the Wilkes Community College campus in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on April 24 - 27, 2003.

Artists joining Doc Watson and Merle's son Richard Watson for MerleFest 2003 will include Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, Emmylou Harris, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Laura Love Band, Asleep at the Wheel, Leahy, Donna the Buffalo, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Sam Bush Band, Vassar Clements, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Guy Clark, Hot Rize, Don Edwards, Paul Geremia, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, Patrick Sweany, Tony Rice, Tim O'Brien, Del McCoury Band, Etta Baker, the Whites, Norman & Nancy Blake, Eustace Conway, Lightnin' Wells & Algia Mae Hinton, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the Waybacks, and many others. Special performances will include Vassar's 75th birthday jam, the Acoustic Blues Showcase, the Midnight Jam, and "Follow Me Back to the Fold: A Tribute to Women in Bluegrass."

Those with Internet access may acquire their tickets easily by visiting www.merlefest.org and, if purchasing assigned seats at the Watson Stage, actually pick their seat location on line. Those without Internet access may purchase tickets by calling 1-800-343-7857 (US only) or 336-838-6267 (non-US) from 10 AM through 4 PM, EST, weekdays. Tickets may also be ordered by fax (336-838-6277) and mail (MerleFest; P.O. Box 120; Wilkesboro, NC 28697).