Ucross To Host Festival With Bluegrass/Folk Music, Art Exhibition, Food Trucks

Live music, food trucks, art giveaways - Ucross Foundation is hosting its first-ever festival on Sunday, Aug. 22, from 4-6:30 p.m. As part of Sheridan County's Celebrate the Arts weekend, Music in the Park at Ucross will be a free, family-friendly event held throughout the artist residency campus.

The afternoon will feature bluegrass/folk music by internationally acclaimed musicians Laurie Lewis, Darol Anger and Sharon Gilchrist. Sheridan-based singer-songwriter Sarah Sample will give the opening performance.

The festival will also include an art giveaway and tours of the Ucross Art Gallery exhibition American Memory: Inside Out in the iconic Big Red Barn. Local food trucks Bonafide and Stoked Pizza will be offering their menus in the Park throughout the event.

"We are delighted to present renowned musicians Darol Anger and Laurie Lewis, both of whom have spent creative time at Ucross," Ucross President and Executive Director Sharon Dynak said. "And we look forward to welcoming their fellow musician Sharon Gilchrist. With a performance by Sarah Sample opening the event, it promises to bring our community together in the spirit of summer and a true celebration of the arts."

The Park at Ucross is located at the intersection of Highways 14 and 16 East in Ucross. The Big Red Barn is located at 30 Big Red Lane, a half-mile east of the intersection.

Grammy Award-winning musician Laurie Lewis is internationally renowned as a singer, songwriter, fiddler, bandleader, producer and educator. She was a founding member of the Good Ol' Persons and the Grant Street String Band and has performed and recorded since 1986. Lewis has twice been voted "Female Vocalist of the Year" by the International Bluegrass Music Association. She is a Ucross Fellow.

Fiddler, composer, producer and educator Darol Anger is at home in a number of musical genres, some of which he helped to invent. Exceptional among modern fiddlers for his versatility and depth, Anger has helped drive the evolution of the contemporary string band through his involvement with numerous path-breaking ensembles, such as his Republic of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, Montreux, and others. He has performed and taught all over the world with musicians such as Dr. Billy Taylor, Bela Fleck, Bill Evans, the Detroit Symphony and many more. Anger is a Ucross Fellow.

Sharon Gilchrist has long made her home in the American traditional acoustic music scene. Whether she's playing mandolin or upright bass, singing a traditional ballad or performing original material, you hear an artist steeped in traditional Appalachian music relaying those sounds through her own diversified musical lens. Gilchrist has performed with Darol Anger, Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands, the Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet and many more. She is currently based in northern California's Bay Area.

Sarah Sample is an award-winning songwriter with a "raw, graceful voice" (Salt Lake City Weekly) and beautiful songs that weave a trail of stories through folk, Americana and country and have garnered comparisons to Sheryl Crow, The Weepies and Bonnie Raitt. Sample has played several prominent festivals, including Merlefest, Cayamo, Folks Fest, Sisters, Telluride and Kerrville. She has also warmed up stages for artists such as Darrell Scott, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, Marketa Irglova, and Over the Rhine. Sample lives in Sheridan, Wyoming, with her husband and two daughters.

For further information, visit ucross.org.

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