This report is a contribution from Audie Finnell, who also provided the photos.
Billed as the longest running bluegrass festival in Georgia, the Armuchee Bluegrass Festival closed out its 49th season over the Labor Day weekend. While founder Chuck Langley made several concessions for the pandemic during their Memorial Day festival, such as no stage acts, he made only one for the Labor Day weekend: no congregating in the cafeteria as it is a closed space. As the stage area is covered and open sided all around with ample seating, attendees could choose to social distance if they so desired, with even more “open air” seating just outside the stage area as well.
Attendance for the event was about average or maybe a little better, lacking only the usual number of tent campers, for some reason. They were probably held off fearing the anticipated high temperatures of the season, but the weather turned off very mild the whole weekend with temperatures in the low sixties at night — good sleeping weather, as they say — very low humidity, and no rain. All in all, the 2021 season was a successful one, in spite of the concessions made for the pandemic, and the workers, volunteers, and most attendees seemed elated at the fact that the festival was returning to some degree of normalcy, albeit not fully so. Langley anticipates a full return next season, but still maintains a “wait and see” attitude.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the festival but, as of yet, no special celebrations to commemorate the occasion have been announced.
