During the summer, Marion County Lake is alive with sounds of boats, children playing in the water, and people visiting at campgrounds.
On June 18, the air will be filled with sounds of banjos, mandolins, fiddles, and guitars with Bluegrass at the Lake.
Two well-known and highly regarded bands, Brightwater Junction and KBA Treblemakers, will offer a variety of bluegrass entertainment.
The bands will perform in two 45-minute sets. KBA Treblemakers will perform at 6:15 and 8:45 p.m. Brightwater Junction will take the stage at 7:10 and 9:40 p.m.
Brightwater Junction is from southwest Missouri. Formed in 1996, members Lyn Coones on banjo and lead singer, Tonya Coones on bass, Eric Coones on mandolin, Andrew Morton on fiddle, and Jason Jordan on guitar, bring hard-driving, traditional bluegrass music.
Eric Coones is a three-time winner of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music mandolin player of the year. The group was nominated for the 2010 instrumental group of the year honors and traditional bluegrass group of the year by the organization.
Coones began playing bluegrass music at a young age by watching his parents play in a bluegrass band. He started on the guitar, but Coones discovered his real passion was playing the mandolin.
The Kansas Bluegrass Association youth band, known as the KBA Treblemakers, are young musicians lead by instructor and bass player Mark Johnson. Youth members are Nick Johnson on banjo, Ben Guiltner on mandolin, Ashton Burel on fiddle, and Dawson Tarrent on guitar. The south-central Kansas group has performed at numerous bluegrass festivals with rave reviews.
Sign up for the open stage will be 2 to 4 p.m. The stage will be open 4 to 6 p.m. for anyone who wants to perform with $100 awarded for the best performance. The winner will perform at 8:15 p.m.
A mountain man rendezvous will be set up as well as concessions provided by Marion County Firefighters Association.
The event is free to the public and will be on the lake beach area.
For more information, call the lake office at (620) 382-3240.