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Monday, June 29, 2009

Is this the 33rd or 34th annual festival?

I was recently asked to explain why 2009 is not the 34th annual festival instead of the 33rd. The first NIBGA festival was held Labor Day 1976 so Memorial the following year would be the end of year one. Also, there was no Labor Day festival in 1989 so how do you count? If you take those two dates out, then 2009 is the 33rd year.

This brings the question, what happened in 1989?

Don McFarland (Mac) NIBGA president in the 1980s, moved the Memorial weekend festival from Baughman's Campground near Paulding, Ohio in 1989 to Robert (Slim) Habern's (VP in the last part of the 1980s) back yard in Latty, Ohio. The back yard is a misnomer since it was several acres with some electric. (maybe 20 or so?) Baughmans had been sold and the new owner didn't want the festivals in 1989. The crowd at Baughmans was slowly building but it was a terrible campground for a festival. All the Michigan folks said it was "Northern Indiana Bluegrass" so what was it doing in Ohio?

Mac didn't know where to have the festival nor did I. We did take a trip to a couple of locations but nothing came of it. He kept trying to find a "campground" and none would have us so it was Slim's.

Memorial 1989 was a disaster! It rained several inches on Thursday and the back yard was flooded with 2-3 inches of water on Thursday night. It was still there Friday morning. The tent for the crowd collapsed. On Friday, pumps were rented to pump the water somewhere else. Fish worms died and the place smelled. The show came off Fri., Sat., Sun. but the crowd was very small. Since there was no defined gate, several didn't pay. The campers that were there had to be pulled out. The bands were paid and the club lost big time. The treasure was less than $7,500. A latter club t-shirt lists "Lake Latty" as a festival location.
Mac planed on having Labor Day at the same location and had hired the bands. In mid summer, Slim came to his senses and left town. The festival was canceled.

I became VP and Linda became secretary in the fall elections. Mac went to Florida that winter and called in January 1990 to say he was not having a festival in 1990 because of his ill health. As VP, I could put one together if I wanted.

Club memberships had sunk along with newsletter mailings to about 120 or so. It looked like the end of NIBGA. With the help of Donnie Voiles who became VP, I stepped up to president and moved the festival to Kendallville.

The rest is recent history.

Jim Winger - President

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