John Lanham Jam Day will return to Pioneer Village at Yellow Creek Park on October 26, complete with a new competition featuring regional bands. Last year, those in attendance set a record for the world’s largest bluegrass band.
Randy and Barry Lanham host the festival to honor their late grandfather, John Lanham, whose mission was to pass down the music. The festival features live music, dance, food, artisan vendors, arts and crafts, and more.
This year’s event will benefit the three women’s shelters in town: Crossroads, St. Benedict’s Day Shelter, and My Sister’s Keeper.
“We will have music and dance under the pavilion all day,” Randy Lanham said. “The back of the cabin will turn into a secondary stage, where we will host other acts and the Battle of the Bands competition concert.”
The Battle of the Bands is new this year and will pin several regional bluegrass, folk, gospel, and country bands against each other for a grand prize. Lanham is currently searching for more arts and crafts vendors.
“Our goal is always to keep that old-timey vibe,” he said. “We’re looking for artisan and vintage artists. We will have quilt and soap makers. It’s not only music and dance. It’s an opportunity to showcase the old-time way, for people to be like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know people used to make their own soap.'”
Like their grandfather, Randy and Barry are on a journey to keep the music alive.
“We’re afraid that if no one were teaching it, no one would pick it up,” Lanham said. “If my grandad told me once, he told me 1,000 times, ‘Keep the music and dance alive.’ We want people to unwind and unplug and remember the past, our roots, and our culture – that’s the point of this thing.”
This fall will mark the festival’s fourth year and its second year at Pioneer Village. The first two years were at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Organizers are working with the Daviess County Parks and Recreation Department to have the cabins open on that day, along with offering better parking, an entrance off Reid Road, and golf carts to transport those who use handicapped parking. Lanham said the County “has been fantastic in figuring all of this out.”
Lanham credited the event’s success to the growing popularity of traditional music and dance and the event’s many dedicated volunteers.
“John Lanham Day is all about sharing, sharing those traditions – that’s what the museum is all about at its core – education and keeping the tradition alive and growing,” he said.
