The Virginia Covered Bridge Festival Committee is excited to announce its entertainment line-up for the 2016 festival.
The annual event, located in the Woolwine community, will be held on Saturday, June 18, and will celebrate its 12th continuous year.
As in past years, live music will be presented at two sites during the day. Traditional styled gospel and bluegrass will be performed near the former site of the Bob White Covered Bridge, which was destroyed by flooding last September.
Jacks Creek will host an eclectic array of rhythm and blues and Americana music.
Following the formal opening ceremony at the Bob White venue, Vernon Harris and Shelley Roberts will begin the festival at 10:30 a.m. with various gospel selections. Both Harris and Roberts are residents of the Woolwine community and regularly entertain throughout the area.
The Comptons from Floyd County will entertain at 11:30 a.m. The group consists of Clinton Compton and his two sons, Roger and Darrell, and other guest instrumentalists. They will bring a show of bluegrass and gospel music.
At 12:30 p.m., Bluegrass and Clover will take the stage, performing a variety show of gospel, bluegrass and country music. Group leader Ralph Haden, who provides lead guitar and vocals, grew up playing in the covered bridge and currently lives nearby on Bob White Road.
The Bob White closing show at 1:30 p.m. is yet to be announced.
Expect unexpected music when the F.A.R.M. T.E.A.M. opens the show at 11 a.m. at Jacks Creek Bridge. The Patrick County group, made up of Mary Jo and Charlie, Gayle and Rory, will bring an hour of Americana music.
Les Moore, a great rhythm and blues entertainer, will begin his performance at noon. He is a resident of Patrick Springs and well-known throughout the area for his personality and unique talent.
Taking the stage at 1 p.m. at the Jacks Creek site will be Ted Alt, local saxophone virtuoso. Ted is currently a student at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
The final show of the day will begin at 2 p.m. with a performance by Sergio Gonzales. Sergio grew up in Puerto Rico and graduated from college with a degree in music. He will provide original guitar and vocal selections.
The festival committee is delighted to offer this day of music free of charge to the audience and encourages everyone to attend the event and enjoy these multi-talented artists.
