Route 23 Bluegrass Festival

08/31/2026

Many thanks to our friends at the Beaver VFW for Sunday night’s lively Route 23 Bluegrass Festival preview featuring 7 Mile Bluegrass!

The Route 23 Bluegrass Festival’s road show continues tonight at 7 p.m. at the Beast and Bottle in Waverly where we shut down the street for Cecil Jackson and Dry Ridge!

We’re on day 3 of our nine-day stretch of great bluegrass. Come grab some food, have a cold beverage, listen to some great music, and join the street party!

Be sure to check out our full schedule, and we’ll see you tonight at the Beast and Bottle!

08/31/2026

08/30/2026

Many thanks to everyone who participated in our inaugural Swings & Strings Golf Tournament yesterday! What a fun day!

Thanks to our presenting sponsor NexGen Construction Group and all our sponsors, the staff at Dogwood Hills Golf Course and Beast and Bottle, our volunteers, and all the players.

Next, we turn to our three free preview shows, beginning today at 7 p.m. at the Beaver VFW with a performance by the 7-Mile Bluegrass Band. The Beaver VFW is located at 2081 Adams Road.

The Route 23 Bluegrass Festival is off and running, and for the full schedule, festival tickets, and more information, visit the Route 23 Bluegrass Festival website.

08/30/2026

Jaelee Roberts Music chats about the upcoming Route 23 Bluegrass Festival in Piketon, OH🙌🎻

She'll be performing with Sister Sadie on September 5th🤘

08/29/2026

Nine days of activities begin today as we kick off the Route 23 Bluegrass Festival, presented by Garage Beer!

We start with The Opening Drive - the Swings & Strings Golf Tournament at Dogwood Hills Golf Course. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and we had a late cancellation, so one spot remains if you want to gather a team this morning.

Our main gate at the Pike County Fairgrounds opens today at noon for campers wanting to make an early arrival.

After today we offer preview shows with bluegrass performances at 7 p.m. each night at the Beaver VFW (Sunday), Beast & Bottle (Monday), and the Lake White Club (Tuesday).

Then we get hoppin’ on Wednesday with the Route 23 Hop where we have four bluegrass performances throughout the day at local venues (Black Diamond Restaurant - noon, Waverly American Legion Post 142 - 2:30 p.m., the Waverly Moose Lodge - 5 p.m., and the Piketon VFW - 7:30 p.m.). Shuttle services are available through Luxury Entertainment - (740) 804-1818.

Then the action turns to the Pike County Fairgrounds Thursday through Sunday where multiple Grammy Award and IBMA award-winners, regional favorites, and the bluegrass stars of tomorrow take the stage.

All in all, it’s an eight-day celebration of bluegrass music, southern Ohio, a collection of great people, and a whole lot of fun!

The full lineup, tickets and more details are available at the Route 23 Bluegrass Festival website and the linked event.

It’s showtime, and you’re invited to come on in … the water’s fine.

08/28/2026

To say that the multi-talented Trey Hensley has had a good year would be a bit of an understatement.

The International Bluegrass Music Association has already recognized him twice for the coveted IBMA Guitar Player of the Year award, and he’s again a finalist in 2026. Beyond that, Hensley is on the board for Male Vocalist of the Year, his album Can’t Outrun the Blues, and Song of the Year for the album’s title track.

And if you want to see what it’s all about, be sure to check out his closing set on Saturday, Sept. 5 at the Route 23 Bluegrass Festival in Piketon, Ohio, which will include his hard-driving blend of bluegrass, country, and blues.

Hensley has built an extraordinary résumé that includes performances with legends including Earl Scruggs, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs and Taj Mahal. He also took his guitar playing to the international stage in 2023 as a performer at Eric Clapton’s prestigious Crossroads Guitar Festival.

At Route 23, Hensley will be joined by a team of impressive musicians, including mandolinist Thomas Cassell, banjoist Gibson Davis, and bassist Will Potts.

From his Grand Ole Opry debut at just 11 years old to becoming one of bluegrass music’s most celebrated guitarists, Hensley brings the fire. To feel the heat, check him out as we close down one of the great days in all of bluegrass at the Route 23 Bluegrass Festival! Where the Legends Play!


Garage Beer

08/28/2026

We would like to welcome the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI) to the Route 23 Bluegrass Festival family!

For decades, SODI has been working behind the scenes to strengthen southern Ohio and create new opportunities for the people and communities of our region. Through years of dedication to local community and economic development, SODI has helped lay the groundwork for the incredible growth we’re seeing today in the Piketon area.

The massive energy and technology development projects now taking shape in our community didn’t happen overnight. They are the result of years of vision, persistence and hard work — and organizations like SODI have played an important role in helping position Pike County and southern Ohio for these exciting opportunities.

Just as importantly, SODI’s commitment goes beyond economic development. Their work has helped build a stronger community and create a foundation for future generations to live, work and play in southern Ohio.

As we often say, this festival is simply not possible without the support of our local community and our bluegrass music supporters. We’d like to thank all of our partners, who can be seen at www.route23bluegrass.com/our-partners, and we kindly ask that you consider supporting the businesses and organizations that support our community and bluegrass music.

Thank you to SODI and our broader economic development community for the years of hard work, investment and belief in southern Ohio that have helped make our area a destination for innovation, energy, technology, opportunity, and ... of course ... music.

08/28/2026

Special thanks to NexGen Construction Group of Waverly for sponsoring the Swings & Strings Golf Tournament on Saturday at Dogwood Hills!

The field of 28 teams is filled and we’re looking forward to a great day of golf!

The Grass Unit, featuring Jayce Turley, will perform at the pavilion following golf. The show is open to the public so come join us!

It The Opening Drive of the Route 23 Bluegrass Festival!

Let’s go!

08/26/2026

It is widely known that Dolly Parton was a worldwide figure and a force as an artist and businesswoman in the entertainment industry.

Through all her success she remained true to her Appalachian roots, and her reverence for bluegrass music.

The International Bluegrass Music Association recognized her five times for her bluegrass work, including her The Grass Is Blue album in 2000.

She introduced bluegrass to generations of fans and the bluegrass world will for forever be indebted to this icon.

An incredible part of Dolly’s legacy is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, where children from birth to age 5 are eligible for an age-appropriate book to be mailed to their homes monthly at no cost to the family.

The program is available in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland, and has distributed more than 300 million books since its beginning.

In Ohio, books have been distributed to the homes of more than a million children and is available throughout the state.

It is with our deepest gratitude that we offer condolences to those who were saddened by the loss of the incomparable Dolly Parton.