Owensboro’s ROMP Festival named 2014 Event of the Year by IBMA

ROMP posterOWENSBORO — Old Crow Medicine Show, David Grisman, Sam Bush, Railroad Earth, Ricky Skaggs, Del McCoury, Sarah Jarosz, and 23 String Band are among the dozens of talented acts set to perform at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s event of the year — Owensboro’s ROMP Festival, June 25-28.

ROMP Festival is a four-day music and camping festival hosted at both the museum, in downtown Owensboro, and at Yellow Creek Park, a gorgeous 150-acre facility that is a perfect setting for a music festival.  ROMP features traditional and legendary bluegrass artists alongside old time and progressive bluegrass musicians who expand the boundaries to the far-flung roots and branches of bluegrass.

The home-grown summer music festival received the prestigious “Event of the Year” award in 2012 from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA); an award with nominees including the Bristol Rhythm and Roots in Bristol, Tenn., and the La Roche Bluegrass Festival in La Roche, France. IBMA is the trade association that connects and educates bluegrass professionals, empowers the bluegrass community, and encourages worldwide appreciation of bluegrass music of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Entering its 11th year, ROMP is the main fundraising event for the International Bluegrass Music Museum.  Thousands of people from around the world will gather for this unique, award-winning festival which includes music performances by 29 stellar bands, organized kids’ activities including a water spray park and playground, healthy food concessions, original arts and crafts, artist workshops, a film festival, new exhibits, and the infamous after parties.

ROMP has grown leaps and bounds since its 2004 debut in Owensboro’s English Park. That year, there were 5,000 fans attending. Two years later, ROMP made its move to Yellow Creek Park, where it started to make a name for itself. Attendance was 7,000 in 2010, 15,000 in 2011 and exploded in 2012 with 21,000.

A festival like no other, ROMP encourages attendees to bring their instruments and participate in jam sessions which are held throughout the park at all hours of the day and night.  At Yellow Creek Park, the music on the Main Stage is just part of the attraction. A huge array of artist workshops are also going on throughout the day, giving musicians the chance to interact and teach fans and players of all ages and skill levels. Other workshops and special treats include songwriting, dance, yoga, and nature trails. ROMP after parties are set in Yellow Creek Park’s Pioneer Village and keep the live music streaming and attendees dancing until the early morning hours.

The International Bluegrass Music Museum, located in the RiverPark Center in Owensboro, is the world’s only facility dedicated to the history and preservation of the international history of bluegrass music. Museum admission is free to festivalgoers.  A free shuttle service takes campers and other ROMP attendees from Yellow Creek Park to the museum and back from 10 AM to 5 PM during the festival. There will be live performances, original films, and new exhibits at the museum taking place during the daytime hours.

Tickets and camping passes are available online at www.rompfest.com, or by calling the Bluegrass Museum – 888-MY-BANJO.

2014 PERFORMERS:

Old Crow Medicine Show, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Sam Bush Band, David Grisman Folk Jazz Trio, Railroad Earth, Del McCoury Band, The Wood Brothers, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan, Sarah Jarosz, Pokey LaFarge, 23 String Band, The Boston Boys, Foghorn Stringband, The Brotet, Alison Brown Quartet, Missy Raines & The New Hip, Rushad Eggleston, Reunion Band, Bradford Lee Folk & The Bluegrass Playboys, The DanBerrys, Bawn in the Mash, Red Ember, Vickie Vaughn Band, Phoebe Hunt & Connor Forsyth