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Festival is finger-pickin’ good

Take a low­backed lawn chair and a sun hat and enjoy a wonderful, family friendly day of bluegrass and old­-time music
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Fiddler Sarah Hamilton

Take a low­backed lawn chair and a sun hat and enjoy a wonderful, family friendly day of bluegrass and old­-time music at beautiful Sorrento Centre this Saturday, Aug. 22.

NimbleFingers is a music-lovers’ festival, where an international lineup of stellar old-time and bluegrass acts take the stage, this year with music from noon to 9 p.m.

Book­ended by a weeklong music workshop, the festival has the good fortune of drawing upon the incredible talent of their world-class faculty for their lineup of performers on two stages.

This year NimbleFingers is thrilled to welcome the smokin’ bluegrass sounds of Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, and Canadian folk star Old Man Luedecke, The New Reeltime Travellers with their high-energy, as well as the simple and beautifully crafted new-­old country and bluegrass duets of Seattle-based Cahalen Morrison and Eli West.

The NimbleFingers Allstars! will be doing a classic bluegrass set mid­afternoon. Vancouver Island-based bands Annie Lou as well as The Cumberland Brothers will take the stage, along with the old­time sounds of Toronto’s Lonesome  Ace Stringband and the haunting ballads and crankies of southwest Virginia’s Anna and Elizabeth.

Last but not least, Seattle-based The Tallboys  Trio, and Alberta-based Kayla and Matt Hotte and Victoria’s Pennyless  Duo will take the stage.

Besides the fantastic music, organizers have made a commitment to sustainability at the festival.

This year, both stages will be powered by bike and solar power. Yes, there will be bikes to jump on to keep the music rolling.

As well as music, the festival features delicious food vendors and artisans, along with vendors offering mandolins, guitars, ukuleles, bows, picks, books and lots of other musical paraphernalia.

There will be a vintage record vendor and a couple of handmade instrument makers, original letterpress posters, gorgeous handmade jewelry, NimbleFingers T­-shirts, and a whole lot more.

There will be a super­-creative, all-ages craft area, and delicious produce available grown by the Sorrento Centre in their own organic farm.

Once again, there will be a beer garden hosted again by the uber­local (only two kilometres away) Crannóg Ales.

Organizers are excited to present the exhibit Banjos:  Africa to the New World at the festival. The exhibit traces the development of the banjo from its African roots to the New World.

Eventually, banjos were mass­-produced in American factories. This collection of mostly reproductions, spans a period of more than 300 years and illustrates much of the history of this popular instrument.

Advance tickets are available in person at  Acorn Music in Salmon Arm, Lee’s Music in Kamloops, the Sorrento  Centre office and online at  www.nimblefingers.ca.

Advance adult tickets are $35 and youths ages 13 to 18 pay $22.50. Kids under 13 and adults over 80 Free.

Gate prices are $39 for adults and $25 for youths.