The family-friendly event is July 17-19 at the Greene County Fairgrounds & Expo Center, 120 Fairground Road, Xenia. Tickets are available at the gate or online ahead of the event. Admission is free for ages 16 and younger. For those 17-25 years old, admission is half off at the door with a valid student ID. RV and primitive camping is available.
In the fall of 2003, musician and local radio DJ Joe Mullins and his team organized their first indoor bluegrass festival, which went by a different name in those days. The festival went so well that they started doing one every spring and fall subsequent years, filling the Roberts Centre in Wilmington with bluegrass fans from 40 states and half a dozen countries.
The festival hit its stride from 2010 to 2019, but stalled out during the pandemic. It came back strong in the fall of ‘21, which was when it was rebranded the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival, named after a Southwestern Ohio bluegrass compilation album of the same name. In the fall of ‘22, the festival was awarded Bluegrass Event of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. It won the award again in 2024.
Industrial Strength has booked many mainstream bluegrass acts over the past two decades, including Del McCoury, The Earls of Leicester, and Ricky Skaggs. With the momentum the spring and fall festivals have generated since 2003, along with the recent recognition from the IBMA, the festival’s organizers decided it was time to add a third season to the yearly schedule.
This inaugural Summer Fest will feature a variety of regional and Ohio-based entertainers and bluegrass favorites, as well as some acts from Indiana and Kentucky. Seven bluegrass acts will perform each day, with main stage entertainment starting at 1 p.m. and going until 10 p.m.
A free guitar workshop — led by two award-winning guitars, Kenny Smith and Clay Hess — will open each day at noon. A campground-wide jam on the main stage will close out Thursday and Friday night, as well.
“One of the appeals of bluegrass music is it’s very participatory; fans are accustomed to having access to the artist,” Mullins said. “Over 50% of bluegrass fans also own an instrument, so everybody usually has a mandolin or guitar or banjo back at their campsite. Folks can pack in there and pick and play ‘til the wee hours of the night. That’s part of the bluegrass experience.”
There will be a variety of food and beverage vendors on site, as well as a cooling station. Lawn chairs are recommended.
Since 2003, the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival has featured nationally known acoustic groups, including pioneers of bluegrass music, and a sampling of up-and-coming bands. Its goal is to feature bluegrass, country, old-time, and gospel to loyal audiences and to younger generations who are also enthusiastic about roots music.
“Bluegrass fans for decades love to camp out and spend the weekend under the stars, picking and singing and jamming and partying,” Mullins said. “When the headliners are on stage, come down front and soak it all up. It’s gonna be the biggest bluegrass bash for the summer this year in Ohio.”
Brandon Berry writes about the Dayton and Southwest Ohio music and art scene. Have a story idea for him? Email branberry100@gmail.com.
How to go
What: Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival Summer Fest
When: July 17-19
Where: Greene County Expo Center, 120 Fairground Rd., Xenia
Cost: $55 at the gate. Free admission for ages 16 and under. Multi-day packages available online.
Tickets: somusicfest.com
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