DelFest takes place at the Allegany County Fairgrounds, which sits on the banks of the Potomac River, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of northwestern Maryland, in the cozy town of Cumberland. This is  the 11th annual DelFest and the locals really roll out the red carpet for the festival and it's guests.

  I was fortunate this year to arrive on Tuesday and experience a bit of the 10th annual DelFest Music Academy. The academy is a music school with approximately 100 students. It kicks off on Sunday and wraps up on Wednesday with a band scramble contest. The students ranged in age from the youngest being 10 year old  mandolin player Sophia Sparks of Richmond California, to a couple of older pickers who were in their 70s. On Sunday all students are assigned to a band for which they choose a name, a singer, and a song to perform. The bands rehearse on their own time for several hours a day leading up to the band scramble, where they are judged by the academy's teachers.

  The band scramble took place Wednesday afternoon. This year there were 10 bands competing, with the winner performing on the main stage after the Del McCoury Band's soundcheck. I was able to attend the scramble, and what a treat and delight it was. All of the bands where worthy of winning the scramble. The winner was The Magic Tones, which was led by 15 year old fiddle player Katelynn Casper, who handled vocals, fiddle and band leader duties. 

  Later on Wednesday afternoon I was able to catch the final day of the academy’s  karaoke session, which I had heard so much about in past years. This is not your run of the mill karaoke. For this the karaoke machine is actually Del McCoury, his band, and the teachers of the academy. The students get to choose a song and have Del and the boys back them up. The students give them a quick rundown of how they would like the song played, the breaks and the tempo they want the band to take, as well as the key. Then it's off to the races. This was such a treat as on the final day there were over 20 students participating in the karaoke.  I had such a good time that I am already planning on arriving even earlier next year just to catch the daily karaoke sessions.

  The academy is hosted and put together by Lisa McCoury, who is Rob McCoury's wife. Rob is the banjo player in the Del McCoury Band. If you're a picker of bluegrass music you may want to look into this experience. I don't think you will be disappointed. 

  Thursday is the official opening day of the festival.  It was a magnificent day with perfect weather. There was not a cloud in the sky as the main stage fired up with the Del McCoury Band's soundcheck set. The setting is so picturesque from the main stage, which sits on the banks of the Potomac River under several hundred foot high rock and tree lined bluffs. Del and the boys dress very casually for the soundcheck and he often joked that this was not a "real show". You wouldn't know that by the quality of music that they brought to the stage in their just over one hour set. They would be followed by the academy  band scramble winner, The Magic Tones, performing a Merle Haggard song Shelly’s Winter Love, which I was not familiar with. Their performance was incredible to say the least, as they were led by 15 year old Katelynn Casper.  

  Next up on the main stage were The California Honeydrops, who brought a very entertaining set under a colorful sunset over the Maryland mountainside. The next artist to perform was Rhiannon Giddens. She brought a somewhat politicly charged set that seemed to resonate well with the crowd. Her band was very tight as they performed many originals. They then covered Mavis Staples and Sister Rosseta Tharpe to close out the show. After a short break the main stage would close out with an electrifying set from the Infamous Stringdusters. This band seems to get better every time I see them. They did a Phish cover that really got the younger crowd fired up. During their set they brought Ronnie McCoury and Cody Kilby of the Del McCoury Band out to sit in. The main stage ended around midnight just as the late night show was kicking off on the Music Hall Stage. I decided to retire and not attend the two late night sest, which were The Lil Smokies and Fruition. Word has it that both bands turned in solid sets and were well attended. The late night shows go until almost 3am, which makes for a very long night.

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