Celebration of Traditional Music to Honor McClain Family Band

October 10, 2023

By Jodi Whitaker

BEREA, Ky. – Berea College will present a lifetime achievement award to the McLain Family Band during the 50^th annual Celebration of Traditional Music, taking place Oct. 12-15 on the Berea College campus. This year’s event will celebrate a half-century of homemade music passed on from person to person in the Appalachian region, as well as the musicians who play it. The Celebration of Traditional Music Golden Jubilee Celebration will honor some of the Celebration’s earliest performers as well as the many committee members who have worked to sustain the event over the years. This year’s performers will include: The McLain Family Band, The Ritchie Nieces, Rich Kirby, Lewis and Donna Lamb, Don Pedi, The Lua Project, Julie Nelms, and dance band Al and Alice White and with guests Liza DiSavino, A.J. Bodnar and caller Chris Bischoff. The Stephenson Memorial performers will be the McCrary Sisters on Thursday night at 8 p.m. in Phelps–Stokes Chapel. The event will also include a Friday Dinner–on–the–Grounds with symposium speaker Phil Jamison, concerts, workshops, dances, jams and a Saturday morning Kidzone at Woods-Penn Commons beginning at 10 a.m. The Celebration of Traditional Music is sponsored by the L. Allen Smith Memorial Fund and is planned and presented by the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center, the CTM Committee, the Berea College Music Department and the students of the Folk-Roots Ensemble. The event will be livestreamed on the Berea College Music Department Livestream at https://livestream.com/bereacollege For more details and schedule of events, visit the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music Facebook page or the website at https://www.berea.edu/centers/loyal-jones-appalachian-center/events-2/annual-celebration-of-traditional-music. ###