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 Wilkesboro (North Carolina), USA - Wilkes Community College will
present MerleFest 2006, the 19th annual festival in celebration of the music of
the late Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson, on its campus in Wilkesboro, NC
on April 27 - 30, 2006.
Among those previously announced as joining
Doc
Watson and Merle’s son Richard Watson for MerleFest 2006 are Rory Block;
David Bromberg Quartet;
Alison Brown Quartet;
Sam
Bush Band; Guy Clark;
John
Cowan Band; Jerry Douglas Band;
Béla
Fleck & The Flecktones; Emmylou Harris; Hot Tuna; Robert Earl Keen; The Lee
Boys;
Laura Love Band;
Nickel Creek; John Prine; Tony Rice Unit; Peter Rowan; Darrell Scott; Mike
Seeger; Pete Seeger; Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers; Gillian Welch; and
The Waybacks featuring special guest Bob Weir of the Dead.
MerleFest will also welcome the Woody Guthrie tribute Ribbon of Highway
Endless Skyway, along with individual performances by tour members Slaid
Cleaves, Eliza Gilkyson, Jimmy LaFave, and Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion.
For a complete list of MerleFest 2006 performers, visit
www.merlefest.org.
General admission tickets will be available at the gate, starting at 2:30 PM
on Thursday and 8:00 AM Friday through Sunday. General admission tickets for all
four days are $145, while Friday through Sunday wristbands cost $125. Individual
day rates are $35 for Thursday, $45 Friday, $50 Saturday, and $40 on Sunday.
Overall festival participation, including ticketed participants, artists, school
groups, volunteers, children admitted free and community outreach, totaled
80,104 for MerleFest 2005. Using guidelines recommended by the College of
Business at Appalachian State University, MerleFest 2005 had an estimated total
regional impact of $14,373,818.25. Over its first 18 years, MerleFest has
contributed $5.7 million to Wilkes Community College.
More than a week before its April 27 start, MerleFest 2006 had received
ticket orders from 48 states and 12 foreign countries. Since July 1, 2005,
MerleFest 2006 had received 170,455,782 impressions in more than 900 published
articles. The previous MerleFest record for an entire year was 100,844,019. One
hundred eight radio stations in 18 states and Canada participated in MerleFest
2006 promotions. Including media sponsorships with that total, MerleFest 2006
bartered for $222,000 worth of radio airtime, magazine, website, newspaper, TV
and cable TV advertising. Mvyradio.com and Wilkes Community College station WSIF-FM
90.9 will broadcast live from MerleFest.
For the first time, www.festivalink.net
will be offering sales of live downloads and CDs from MerleFest 2006.
Major MerleFest 2006 sponsors include BluegrassCountry.org; Burger King; C&J
LP Gas Company/G&B Energy; Cedar Creek Custom Case Shoppe/TKL; Charter
Communications; Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock; Collings Guitars; Curtis Media;
Deering Banjo Company; First Quality Musical Supplies; GHS Strings; Gibson
Musical Instruments; Hardees/Dermox; Homespun Tapes Ltd.; iBluegrass & The
Acoustic Network; J D'Addario & Co; John Pearse Strings; Knee Deep in Bluegrass;
Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouses; mvyradio.com; Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC;
Sprint; Stelling Banjo Works; Sugar Hill Records; Taylor Guitars; Tyson Foods,
Inc.; WBRF-FM 98.1; Western Beat Entertainment; WFMX 105.7 FM; Winston-Salem
Journal; WNCW Public Radio; WUNC 91.5 FM; and WXII-TV 12.
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