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  Wilkesboro (North Carolina), USA - The MerleFest box office opens at 2:00 pm eastern standard time on November 13, 2007 for ticket sales for the 2008 event. MerleFest 2008, presented by Lowe’s, will feature artists from a variety of styles and genres to celebrate the music of Doc and Merle Watson for the 21st year. Once again Doc Watson will host the four-day festival to be held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC on April 24-27, 2008.
Doc and Richard Watson, Merle’s father and son respectively, will be joined by The Avett Brothers; Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck, Casey Driessen, & Ben Sollee; Sam Bush; The Carolina Chocolate Drops; Jerry Douglas; Levon Helm & The Midnight Ramble on the Road with Special Guests; Tim O’Brien; The Waifs; The Waybacks; Old Crow Medicine Show; Solas “Reunion,”with Karan Casey & John Doyle; Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder; Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mtn Boys; Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives; Dan Tyminski Band; Alison Brown Quartet with Joe Craven; Donna The Buffalo; Blue Highway; The Claire Lynch Band; Dirk Powell & Riley Baugus; Tony Rice; Peter Rowan; Ollabelle; Sally Van Meter; Rhonda Vincent & The Rage; Pete Wernick & Flexigrass.
MerleFest will also feature performances by Bearfoot; The John Cowan Band; David Holt; The Infamous Stringdusters; Jorma Kaukonen; Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands; The Lovell Sisters; Nashville Bluegrass Band; Tift Merritt; The Wilders; Susana & Timmy Abell; Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan; Banknotes; Roy Book Binder; Laura Boosinger; Bob Carlin & Cheick Hamala Diabate; The Captain’s Crew; Carl & Kelli Jones; The Circuit Riders; T. Michael Coleman; Robert Dotson; Mike Dowling; Ruthie Foster; Future Traditions; Terry Garland; Buddy Greene; Mitch Greenhill; George Hamilton IV and George Hamilton V; Bob Hill; Hot Buttered Rum; Clint Howard Band; Sierra Hull & Highway 111; The InterACTive Theater of Jef; Phil Jamison; The Key City Boys; Jim Lauderdale; Jack Lawrence; Mark Lippard; Jeff Little; The Local Boys; Bill Mathis; Cliff Miller; Paul Oscher; The Pine Leaf Boys; Polecat Creek; Tom Sauber; Shana Banana; ShoeFly; Ryan Shupe & The RubberBand; Joe Smothers; Rafe Stefanini and Clelia Stefanini; Rodney Sutton; Tish Hinojosa; Tut Taylor; Joe Thompson; Happy Traum; Bil VornDick; Charles Welch; Whitetop Mountain Band; Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society; The Alberti Flea Circus; Buffalo Barfield; Willette Hinton & Family; Tony Williamson.
The 2008 festival is grateful to 80+ sponsors for their support in making MerleFest possible. Those sponsors include; Lowe’s, Tyson, Brushy Mountain Smokehouse, Burger King, G & B Energy, Hardee’s, MVY Radio, Pepsi, WXII TV, Winston-Salem Journal, Carolina West, D’Addario, GHS, Gibson, Taylor Guitar, John Pearce Strings, Embarq, Charter Communications, SE Systems, Sugar Hill, and many other fine companies. A complete listing of all MerleFest sponsors and additional information about all aspects of the festival can be found at www.merlefest.org.
In addition to music from over a dozen stages MerleFest offers heritage crafts from regional artisans, a safe and family friendly atmosphere, children’s activities, plenty of pickin’ opportunities, and more! MerleFest, presented by Lowe’s, will be held on the campus of Wilkes Community College April 24-27, 2008. For more information, to buy tickets, or to sign up as a festival volunteer visit www.merlefest.org or call 1-800-343-7857.
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