The Thursday evening jam to open the 3rd Annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival drew a huge crowd at Caffé Sportivo in Redwood City this evening — and the music was great! Lots of folks came that had never heard a live bluegrass jam session before, and all had a good time. Thanks to Mark Huisman and his pickin’ buddies for opening their regular Thursday evening Peninsula Bluegrass Crossing Jam to our NCBS festival-goers.

The BOB festival continues on Friday with an evening out in downtown Redwood City for good food, good friends, and good bluegrass music. Here are your options:

FRIDAY, March 12

An Evening of Bluegrass Dining in Downtown Redwood City:

27strings (Bluegrass) – 8:00-11:00pm, Angelica’s Bistro, 863 Main Street, (650) 365-3226.

Loganville Acoustic (Bluegrass) – 7:00-9:00pm, Little India, 917 Main Street, (650) 361-8737.

Swing Tonic (Eclectic) – 7:00-9:00pm, Sweet Basil, 911 Main Street, (650) 257-7594.

Enjoy!

Festival Fun: The Northern California Bluegrass Society’s 3rd Annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival is FREE, close-to-home, and offers unique bluegrass entertainment that is not available anywhere else. This weekend’s events run Thursday-Sunday, and include concerts, jams, a bluegrass film festival, and the Northern California Bluegrass Awards.

Tickets: NOT REQUIRED — ALL FESTIVAL EVENTS ARE FREE.

Performance Schedule:

THURSDAY, March 11

Peninsula Bluegrass Crossing Opening Night Jam – 7:00-10:00pm, Café Sportino, 965 Brewster Ave. (650) 365-3500. Host: Mark Huisman.

FRIDAY, March 12

An Evening of Bluegrass Dining in Downtown Redwood City:

27 Strings (Bluegrass) – 8:00-11:00pm, Angelica’s Bistro, 863 Main Street, (650) 365-3226.

Loganville Acoustic (Bluegrass) – 7:00-9:00pm, Little India, 917 Main Street, (650) 361-8737.

Swing Tonic (Eclectic) – 7:00-9:0pm, Sweet Basil, 911 Main Street, (650) 257-7594.

SATURDAY, March 13

Northern California Bluegrass Awards & Concert:

Tapestry Church (formerly, the Peninsula Christian Center), 1305 Middlefield Road.

10:30am – Special Film Presentation: Yodeling Lady Lolita, by Bruce Bellagio

11:00 – Common Cents

Noon – Nell Robinson & Friends

1:00pm – Loganville Acoustic

2:00 – High Country

3:00-5:00pm – Northern California Bluegrass Awards with performances by:

Bean Creek

Pam Brandon aka Belle Monroe,

A. J. Lee & Betsy Riger

The Henriettas

Yoseff Tucker

5:15pm-ish to whenever – Award Winners Jam hosted by Bean Creek (All jammers are welcome), Little India.

SUNDAY, March 14

NCBS International Bluegrass Music Museum Film Festival:

Noon-5:00pm, Community Room, Redwood City Main Library, 1044 Middlefield Road. Host: Carl Pagter, International Bluegrass Music Museum Trustee.

The Crooked Jades: Old Time Is Not A Crime, by Jim Swenson & Doug Williford

The New Lost City Ramblers In Always Been A Rambler, by Yasha Aginsky, presented by The Arhoolie Foundation. Personal Appearances by Yasha Aginsky & Carrie Aginsky.

The Waltz To Westphalia: The Journey Of An American Fiddle Classic, by Joe Weed. Personal Appearance by Joe Weed.

Wade Mainer Concert Film, IBMM

Dan Crary, IBMM

Directions: Bluegrass On Broadway is held at various venues in downtown Redwood City (mid-Peninsula in the middle of the Bay Area), easily accessible from Freeways 101 and 280, via the Woodside Road exit. Downtown Redwood City is about a half-mile north of Woodside Road via Middlefield Road. All festival events are within easy walking distance of each other and of the Redwood City Caltrain Station.

Weather: Inside All Weekend: Warm & Dry. THURSDAY: High 59, Low 46, Sunny. FRIDAY: High 58, Low 44, Rain chance 90%. SATURDAY: High 60, Low 43, Mostly Sunny. SUNDAY: High 65, Low 47, Mostly Sunny.

Northern California Bluegrass Awards Finalists:

The performers have been announced for the FREE March 13, 2010 Northern California Bluegrass Awards ceremony, at the Tapestry Church in Redwood City, and set for 3:00-5:00pm. They are:

Bean Creek, Santa Cruz

Pam Brandon aka Belle Monroe, San Francisco

A. J. Lee & Betsy Riger, Tracy

The Henrietta’s, Berkeley

Yoseff Tucker, Fresno/Santa Cruz

The Awards show concert will begin at 10:30am with a special presentation of the new  Bruce Bellagio (Brookdale) concert film “Yodeling Lady Lolita” and continue with live performances by Common Cents (Bonny Doon), Nell Robinson & Friends (Larry Cohea, David Thom, Tony Marcus, & Glenn Dauphin) (Berkeley), Loganville Acoustic (Oakland), and High Country (Oakland).

The day of musical performances will be followed by an Award Winners Jam, hosted by Bean Creek, at Little India, near the church.

Bluegrass On Broadway, March 11-14, is a FREE festival.

NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway, including the Northern California Bluegrass Awards, receives principal financial support from the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission, Redwood City Public Library, Redwood City Friends of the Library, and Tapestry Church (formerly, the Peninsula Christian Center), and from other area businesses and individuals.

Four early leaders of the Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society will be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards on March 13, 2010, as part of the 3rd Annual Northern California Bluegrass Awards. Each gave many years of dedicated service to the then-fledgling Society, now known as the Northern California Bluegrass Society. The awards ceremony is part of the NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival in Redwood City.

Dick Dowell & Judy Dowell joined the Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society shortly after its founding in 1982. They assisted in all aspects of the organization’s activities, including helping host the SCBS Spring and Fall Campouts at Mt. Madonna County Park near Gilroy. They also helped organize many concerts and the first SCBS festival, and helped run the Society’s information booth at festivals.

Dick served many terms as SCBS treasurer, as vice-president, and as a long-time board member.  Judy served as editor of and a writer for the club magazine, Bluegrass By The Bay. For many years, she graciously hosted the organization’s board meetings in her kitchen.

Dick & Judy were also mainstays in the Country Roads Folk Music Camp, and are avid fans of bowling, airplane races, RVing, golf, and hosted a regular Monday Night Football gathering for bluegrass fans at their home in Saratoga for many years. They are now Davis residents.

Dick Clark & Joyce Clark came to the SCBS in its early days through their love of the band Sidesaddle. They recruited many of the new members of the growing Society by staffing the SCBS information booth at festivals. They also helped with most other Society events, including concerts, campouts, the first SCBS festival, and the Society’s support of local bands and bluegrass businesses. Dick served on the SCBS board and two terms as president.

Since moving from Santa Clara to Mountain Ranch, Dick & Joyce have volunteered for the California Bluegrass Association, hosted bluegrass jams and campouts at their home, and organized regular jams at the Mountain Ranch Cafe.

The Dowell & Clark RVs anchored the early Society encampments at Grass Valley and other Northern California bluegrass festivals, and provided a festival home for the organization’s musicians and other members. Breakfast at the “Two Dicks Cafe” was a Saturday morning ritual for SCBS campers, and evening jammers ran the gamut from Sidesaddle to the Del McCoury band. The camp was an important part of the early history of the organization.

The Northern California Bluegrass Awards ceremony will be held at 3:00pm on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at the Tapestry Church (formerly, the Peninsula Christian Center), 1305 Middlefield Road, Redwood City. The ceremony and all other March 11-14 Bluegrass On Broadway programs are FREE and open to the public..

The Northern California Bluegrass Society presents:

“An Evening of Bluegrass Dining” In Historic Downtown Redwood City

Friday evening is a  special time during the Bluegrass On Broadway Festival. Bluegrass fans enjoy good food and good friends while listening to excellent live bluegrass music. Make your reservations now to ensure a table for you and your friends by calling one of these fine restaurants

27 Strings (Bluegrass) – 8:00-11:00pm, Angelica’s Bistro (American), 863 Main Street, (650) 365-3226. This fun establishment does NOT have a cover charge, but for those patrons not eating dinner, a two drink minimum applies.

Loganville Acoustic (Bluegrass) – 7:00-9:00pm, Little India (Indian), 917 Main Street, (650) 361-8737. No cover.

Swing Tonic (Eclectic) – 7:00-9:0pm, Sweet Basil (Thai), 911 Main Street, (650) 257-7594. No cover.

The Third Annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival is a FREE March 11-14, 2010 bluegrass festival in Redwood City.

Redwood City is a bluegrass-friendly city! NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway receives principal financial support from the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission, Redwood City Public Library, Redwood City Friends of the Library, and Tapestry Church, and from other area businesses and individuals.

The 3rd Annual NCBS International Bluegrass Music Museum Film Festival will present five films on Sunday, March 14 in Redwood City, including the new Yasha Aginsky documentary “The New Lost City Ramblers In Always Been A Rambler.” The film is presented by The Arhoolie Foundation. The film festival is part of the March 11-14 NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival. All festival programming, including the film festival, is FREE.

San Francisco Filmmaker Yasha Aginsky

Filmmaker Yasha Aginsky and his wife Carrie will attend the BOB screening in person to talk with the audience and answer questions about the film.

The film festival will run Noon-5:00pm at the Redwood City Main Library Community Room, 1044 Middlefield Road. This film will be shown at approximately 1:00pm.

Other March 14 Festival Films:

The Crooked Jades: Old Time Is Not A Crime,

The Waltz To Westphalia: The Journey Of An American Fiddle Classic

Wade Mainer Concert Film

Dan Crary

The final day of Bluegrass On Broadway will be devoted to the NCBS International Bluegrass Music Museum Film Festival. The FREE program will present five films, including “The Waltz To Westphalia,” a 2010 film by longtime NCBS member Joe Weed of Los Gatos, which will premier at the NCBS festival on Sunday, four days before Weed presents the documentary at a film festival in Canada. Joe will appear at the BOB to discuss the film with the audience.

The NCBS IBMM Film Festival will be held on Sunday, March 14 from Noon-5:00pm at the Redwood City Main Library Community Room, 1044 Middlefield Road. For the film festival’s third year, the library has acquired new, state of the art equipment for comfortable 125 seat viewing room.

The completely FREE NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival runs March 11-14, featuring concerts, jams, films, and the Northern California Bluegrass Awards.

The Northern California Bluegrass Awards Concert will be held on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at the Tapestry Church (formerly, the Peninsula Christian Center), 1305 Middlefield Road, Redwood City. The FREE concert is part of the March 11-14 NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival.

10:30am – Special Film Presentation: Yodeling Lady Lolita, by Bruce Bellagio

11:00 – Common Cents

Noon – Nell Robinson & Friends

1:00pm – Loganville Acoustic

2:00 – High Country

3:00-5:00pm – Northern California Bluegrass Awards (with additional performances).

5:15pm-ish to whenever – Award Winners Jam hosted by Bean Creek (All jammers and listeners are welcome), Little India, 917 Main Street, Redwood City. FREE.