MerleFest 2009 Reels in More Than 70,000 Fans

Posted by Nick Zeitz on 04/28/2009
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More than 70,000 fans joined together this past weekend for the 22nd Annual MerleFest at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, N.C. The festival, which began in 1988, honors Eddy Merle Watson and the entire Watson family for their contributions to musical history and is known for bringing rare performances that have never been seen before. The festival was presented by Lowes and featured over 75 sponsors, most of whom donated proceeds to charitable organizations.
The list of performers included Doc and Richard Watson, Linda Ronstadt with Los Camperos de Nati Cano, Emmylou Harris, Travis Tritt with Jerry Douglas, The Waybacks, The Del McCoury Band and many more.
Despite being in tough economic times, attendance on Thursday was the fifth highest on a Thursday in the festival's history. On Friday, MerleFest experienced the fourth highest Friday attendance, while Saturday's numbers were on par with Saturday of 2008. Sunday's final numbers were not available.
On Thursday, more than 25 artist performed at local schools and churches as a way of giving back to the local community. More than 500 individual volunteers, 150 volunteer stagehands, and over 35 volunteer groups worked to make the festival a success.
Next years MerleFest is scheduled for April 29-May 2, 2010.