White Squirrel Bluegrass+ Festival

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White Squirrel Bluegrass+ Festival

Located in Olney, IL, this annual music festival features top-tier bluegrass bands and local performing artists!

06/15/2026

Thank you to those who have supported our page! We now have over 1,000 followers and nearly 80,000 views. Your support encourages us that the 2026 audience will be the largest since our first Festival in 2023. We are grateful for your interest in the White Squirrel Bluegrass Festival.

White Squirrel Bluegrass Festival
Saturday, September 12 at the Olney City Park in Olney, IL
Featuring the Junior Sisk Band
Gates open at 10:00 Food trucks; Lil Bit of Asia and Hovey's (American Cuisine) Hovey's will also host the beer truck.
Line-up: 11:00-12:00, Burned Biscuits; 12:15-1:15 Dennis Stroughmatt Band; 1:30-2:30 Aaron Thomas Band; 2:45-3:45 Barkley Cove; 4:00-5:00 Mountain Music Ambassadors (Morehead State University); 5:30-700 Junior Sisk Band.

Tickets: available July 6
12 and under free

In advance: $25.00 per person (locally; TrustBank & First National Bank in Olney)
On-line: Eventbrite $30.00 per person (we will pay the convenience fee).
September 12 at the gate: $30.00 per person

06/13/2026

The 2026 White Squirrel Bluegrass T-shirt is now available at Gratitude and Grace (the Little Shop on Main). Stop by and check out the new design. Shirts are $20 but currently only available in Large and X-Large.

06/08/2026

Our featured performer for the 2026 White Squirrel Bluegrass Festival is Junior Sisk. We are proud and excited to have Junior as part of our line-up. He will be on the Bandshell stage from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. As part of his Farewell Tour, we are honored to welcome him to Olney and our fourth annual WSBF! Tickets will be $30 per person at the gate; $25 in advance, 12 and under are free. Advance tickets will be available on Monday, June 6, 2026 at the TrustBank and the First National Bank in Olney. Tickets will also be available on-line at Eventbrite.com on that date. On-line tickets are $30 and we will pay the convenience fee. We look forward to seeing you at the 2026 White Squirrel Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, September at the Olney City Park in Olney, Illinois. Gates will open at 10:00 AM and bands start at 11:00.

Credits:

"Junior Sisk is a name synonymous with bluegrass authenticity, and his new album, It’s All Fun and Games, is both a statement of purpose and a reminder that the genre’s emotional power rests in its simplicity. Released on Turnberry Records, the album offers 11 tracks that balance sorrow, wit, and spiritual weight. While contemporary bluegrass often veers toward the progressive, Sisk stakes his claim on tradition—and makes it sound more vital than ever." BIG CELEBRITY BUZZ

At a time when bluegrass is experiencing yet another wave of crossover experimentation, Sisk and his band are proof that sticking to tradition can still win awards, sell records, and fill venues. It’s All Fun and Games is not just a title; it’s a mission statement." MOBAngeles

"Sisk’s pedigree is undeniable: decades of work, multiple awards, and a voice that continues to be recognized as among the best. With It’s All Fun and Games, he continues not only to honor the legacy of those who came before but also to provide a living, breathing example of why bluegrass matters today." BALLYHOO MAGAZINE

06/02/2026

Mountain Music Ambassadors
Morehead State University

Under the direction of Daxson Lewis and Ruth McLain this student group has been a favorite among attendees of the White Squirrel Bluegrass Festival. This year they will fill the number five spot on our program playing from 4:00-5:00 PM. Direct from the hills of Kentucky, the dynamic Mountain Music Ambassadors is the flagship group of student performers from The Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State University. Ready to entertain with bluegrass, old time, and country music, these student musicians form a section of band class. Musicians from the center have represented their region and mountain culture in hundreds of concerts at theaters, schools, festivals, and other prestigious venues, regionally, nationally, and in such diverse lands as Ireland, Jamaica, and The People’s Republic of China. They have appeared nationally on television and programs such as “Song of the Mountains” and “WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour.” Check out their You-Tube videos.

05/26/2026

Thanks for being a top engager and making it on to my weekly engagement list! 🎉

Janice Navin, Dave Hostetter, Sandy Steber Fehrenbacher, Debi Heidemann

05/25/2026

Scheduled from 2:45-3:45 is Barkley Cove with Robert Myers. Even though Barkley Cove is a new addition to the White Squirrel Bluegrass Festival, Robert has performed here with the Mountain Music Ambassadors. We welcome Robert back as a member of Barkley Cove.

Barkley Cove is the band to watch in the new folk scene. Raised on collaborative songwriting, rich vocal harmony, and the folk revival records of the 60s and beyond, members Jillian Dolan (guitar), Yusuf Miller (mandolin), Silas Gross (banjo), and Robert Myers (bass) mix genres of folk, rock, country, and bluegrass to create a distinctly original sound that will linger in your ear long after the last chord. As their reach expands throughout the United States, Barkley Cove's imaginative songwriting and dedication to originality continues to push the boundaries of new folk music. You can listen to Barkley Cove’s new single, “Cecilia,” on all streaming platforms.

The White Squirrel Bluegrass Festival will be held Saturday, September 12 at the Olney City Park in Olney, IL.. Gates open at 10:00 AM, bands start at 11:00. Admission $30 per person at the gate, $25 per person in advance, children 12 and under free. Food trucks, beer garden and good music. Advance sale tickets will be available at the TrustBank and First National Bank in Olney. Online tickets will be available at Eventbrite, $30 and we will pay the convenience fee. Plan now to attend the White Squirrel Bluegrass Festival in Olney, Illinois.

05/20/2026

The Aaron Thomas Band features Aaron on Banjo who won the Indiana State Bluegrass banjo championship in 2008. In 1999 he performed at the Grand Ole Opry as a guest with Mike Snider. Aaron has performed in several contests in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Solly Burton will be performing on the mandolin. He is a three-time Winfield National Mandolin champion and has also won many state championships in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. They will be joined by Jim and Lynna Woolsey. Born into a family of musicians, Jim began playing with a popular local band The Patoka Valley Boys when he was just fifteen years old. After he and Lynna met and married, she also started playing and singing in the same band. As a single act or in a band, Jim has shared the stage with acts like The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Andy Williams, Marty Robbins, etc. Both Jim and Lynna have won various bluegrass awards including first place in the Indiana Picking and Fiddling Contest.

05/16/2026

Next in line
Is a fiddle player that’s oh so fine
Not quite Bluegrass, but close enough
A recognized authority, and all that stuff
Recognized by the LOC
He’s even got an authorized degree
In Cajun culture from around here abouts
But with Dennis there can be no doubt
You’ll be entertained and amazed
As he plays the fiddle, you’ll be dazed

(complete the rhyme in the comments below)

Attend the White Squirrel Bluegrass Festival, Saturday, September 12. Gates open at 10:00 AM, Music starts at 11:00. Admission $30 at the gate, $25 in advance, under 12 free. Advance tickets available at First National Bank in Olney and Trustbank. Tickets available online at Eventbrite, we pay the convenience fee.

The Dennis Stroughmatt Band will play from12:15-1:15.

05/12/2026

Three months from today the Fourth Annual White Squirrel Bluegrass Festival will be presented in the Olney City Park. Gates will open at 10:00 AM and bands will begin at 11:00. Attendees will be greeted by the “Lil Bit of Asia” food truck and American cuisine from Hovey’s. Hovey’s will also host this year’s “Beer Garden.” So come prepared to enjoy the beauty of the Olney City Park, good food and your drink of choice. (Non-alcoholic beverages will also be available, of course.) Admission is $30 per person at the gate, $25 in advance, 12 and under free. Beginning July 6 advance tickets will be available at the First National Bank in Olney and at Trustbank.
First in our line-up will be a local Bluegrass band “Burned Biscuits.” To learn more about the “Burned Biscuits” follow them on their page.

02/16/2026

🇺🇸 Presidents’ Day got us thinking…

If there were a Mount Rushmore of Bluegrass… who’s on yours? Drop your top 4 below👇

White Squirrel Bluegrass+ Festival
📅 September 12, 2026
📍 Olney City Park Bandshell, Olney, IL

Address

305 North West Street
Olney, IL
62450

Telephone

+16188387074

Website

http://www.whitesquirrelbluegrass.com/

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