25th annual Dillard Bluegrass Festival is coming to Rabun along with many other activities this weekend.
This weekend will have a musical theme along with some good eating.
The Clayton Merchants and Business Association First Friday Fest returns on Aug. 5 with Scott Low performing at The Rock House in downtown Clayton.
On Friday and Saturday, the 25th Dillard Bluegrass and Barbeque Festival will be going strong.
The 18th Big E Festival & Elvis Tribute Artists Competition will be at the Rabun County Civic Center on Aug. 5-7, 201 W
Savannah Street, Clayton.
The Elvis festival starts on Friday with a Meet & Greet from 5- 6 p.m in the downstairs Rock N Roll Café at the Civic Center. The concert begins at 7 p.m with World Champion David Lee from Birmingham, Ala., along with 2021 Big E winner Austin Irby and Youth winner Braxton Sykes. Doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday at noon the ETA Competition begins. Doors open at 11 a.m.
The Youth Division (ETAs under the age of 16) will start the competition.
Adults ETAs from as far away as Australia will be competing. Elvis’s favorite foods, barbeque and peanut and banana sandwiches, will be provided by the Ferst Readers for purchase. The festival will feature a silent auction, craft vendors, a raffle, door prizes and an Angel Memory Board benefiting Habersham County Humane Society. A special People’s Choice Award with all proceeds benefiting John B. Gesbocker Animal Shelter will be awarded.
A Country HoeDown Dinner will take place Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center with food provided by award-winning Clayton Café.This catered event will feature Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, and Patsy Cline tribute artists plus an array of country stars. David Lee’s Gospel Brunch will take place Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Civic Center. Clayton Cafe will serve the southern-style food.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite or for VIP Reserved seats call 706-768-5749 or 706-540-3915.
Organizers say they believe this year’s Dillard festival will be one of the best every.
“Everybody from the bands, the artists, the vendors, and our supporters are ready to get out and enjoy some live music, good food and fun!” according to organizers.
The Dillard festival is a non-profit event with more than 100 volunteers that help make this happen each year.
Through the efforts of the volunteers, the event has been able to help many local charities over the years, including Paws 4 Life, the 4H Club, Community Pantry, Sid Weber Memorial Cancer Fund, the Boy Scouts, FFA and environmental groups Chattooga Conservancy and Main Spring.
This year, as in the past, some of the best bands from all over the Southeast with be playing.
Those acts include headliner Nick Chandler and Delivered, who has won numerous awards throughout the years. This year Chandler has been nominated in several categories for the International Bluegrass Music Association awards.
Other groups include our own Foxfire Boys and Curtis Blackwell and the Dixie Bluegrass Boys. Many returning groups also will be in attendance such as a popular band from Tazewell, Tenn., Shadow Ridge. From Sharpsburg, Ga., will be Brushfire who will again perform.
From just up the road in Otto is John Duncan, “The Asheville Fiddler,” who will bring his string band and some of the best in Old Time music. Several more will perform to round out the show.
Arts and crafts vendors also will be in attendance so bring your Christmas and birthday wish list. And there will be plenty of good food. Of course, barbeque is on the menu, as well as ice cream, funnel cakes, Italian ice, full meals from the Dillard House and other delicious goodies.
Children’s activities will be on site and a cooking school both Friday and Saturday taught by a world-class chef for those wanting to learn the finer points of barbeque.
Two days of fun and music, arts and food, in Dillard under the big top. Follow the signs to our free parking on site and enjoy some bluegrass hospitality.