Ted Lehmann's Film, Books, Music & Commentary: MACC - Musicians Against Childhood Cancer

July 21 -24, 2010 at Hoover Y Park, Lockbourne, OH

A couple of weeks ago I posted a preview of Musicians Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) here. In the preview, I emphasized the festival's signature events, the Classic Performances by bluegrass artists from varying bands combining into unusual and always exciting musical performances. I also introduced potential MACC attendees to the bands which would be making their debut performances there. In this post, I will focus more intently on MACC's mission of supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN as well as looking at the venue and changes that have been made to improve it. During posts I make during the festival itself, I'll be looking at individual performances as well as keeping an eye on "The Scene."

When promoter Darrell Adkins and his wife Phyllis lost their daughter Mandy to brain stem cancer, they took an already successful festival and turned it into a benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. St. Jude has been named the number one children's cancer hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Take a look at the U.S News link and read the categories where it leads the country. Over the ten years of its relationship with St. Jude, MACC has donated over $270,000 to one of the labs there. It has also benefited the YMCA, which own the Park where MACC is presented.

Randy Kohrs, Darrel Adkins and Grascals Jamie Johnson, Terry Smith, and Terry Eldredge

The Lab with Director Dr. Suzanne Baker

By supporting a single lab concerned with brain cancers, the Adkins are able to assure themselves they are making a significant contribution toward finding a cure for the cancer that took their daughter. Musicians appearing at MACC donate their appearance to help make this valuable contribution happen each year. After ten years, many still remember Mandy Adkins and honor her memory with their moving performances.

The Lineup

MACC presents one of the very strongest lineups available in bluegrass anywhere in a setting that makes it a pleasure to attend. Unlike many festivals, each band only presents one long set. Darrel Adkins designs the appearances this way to permit bands to move along to paying gigs while contributing to the important cause of working to eliminate childhood cancer. Despite the flexibility Adkins has provided them, many musicians hang around to socialize with each other, meet and greet fans, and pick on stage with their friends. Because of the friendly environment, many musicians appear in several sets as well as the late evening Classic Performances. These features make MACC a "Don't Miss" festival.

The Grascals — Wednesday - 12:00
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out — Wednesday - 1:30
Don Rigsby & Midnight Call — Wednesday - 2:45
Sierra Hull & Highway 111 — Wednesday - 4:00
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper — Wednesday - 5:15
The Gibson Brothers — Wednesday - 6:30
The MACC Opry — Wednesday - 7:45
J.D. Crowe & The New South — Wednesday - 9:00
MUSIC OF The Johnson Mountain Boys — Wednesday - 10:15
by JMB Members Dudley Connell, David McLaughlin & Marshall Wilburn

Pine Mountain Railroad — Thursday 12:30
James King Band — Thursday - 1:45
Nothin' Fancy — Thursday - 3:00
Lost and Found — Thursday - 4:15
David Parmley & Continental Divide — Thursday - 5:30
Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice — Thursday - 6:45
Dailey & Vincent — Thursday - 8:00
Rhonda Vincent & the Rage — Thursday - 9:15
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out — Thursday - 10:30

Darin & Brooke Aldridge — Friday - 12:30
Larry Stephenson Band — Friday - 1:45
Danny Paisley & Southern Grass — Friday - 3:00
Brandon Rickman - Young Man, Old Soul — Friday - 4:15
Marty Raybon & Full Circle — Friday - 5:30
New Found Road — Friday - 6:45
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver — Friday - 8:00
Blue Highway — Friday - 9:15
Shawn Camp - Charlie Cushman - Mike Bub - Aubrey Haynie
- Chris Henry — Friday - 10:30

The MACC Children's Band — Saturday - 11:30 a.m.
The Snyder Family — Saturday - 12:30
Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers — Saturday - 1:15
Ronnie Bowman — Saturday - 2:30
Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time — Saturday - 3:45
Randy Kohrs & The Lites — Saturday - 5:00
Jeff White & Charlie Cushman — Saturday - 6:15
Lonesome River Band — Saturday - 7:30
Steeldrivers — Saturday - 8:45
MACC Saturday Night Opry: Bradley Walker - Carl Jackson
- Jerry Salley & other MACC members — Saturday - 10:00

The Church Sisters with Jackson, Cordle & Salley

Through his many years of promoting bluegrass and his long-standing friendships and connections in bluegrass, Darrel Adkins is able to put together the best of traditional bluegrass, contemporary sounds, established and up-and-coming bands to provide perhaps the best mixture of bluegrass music available anywhere. Visit the links above to familiarize yourself with this year's bands and get an idea of what you might expect, and then prepare for even more than that. Nothing beats live performances augmented with great sound in a lovely setting. Too many great singers, band leaders, and side men appear at MACC for me to feature very many. During the festival itself I'll be trying to post daily to provide readers of this blog with up to date impressions of all the performers along with a sense of the scene they miss by not attending.

Because so many musicians come and stay a while, MACC is an excellent place for fans to shake and howdy with many of their favorites while bluegrass professionals find it a good place to network and make connections.

Larry Cordle Greets Fans

Song Writers Paula & John Breedlove Chat with Brink Brinkman

The MACC is a place where many of the greats of bluegrass history, the finest of today's singers and pickers, and the future of bluegrass music meet, perform, and interact.

Danny Robers (The Grascals) and Kyle

The Present and the Future

The Children's Band

The Details

Musicians Against Childhood Cancer begins at noon on Wednesday, July 21 at the Hoover Y Park in Lockbourne, OH, just south of Columbus. It runs until around midnight on Saturday the 24th, ending with the fames MACC Opry. Information about Tickets can be obtained here. Remember, the cost of tickets to MACC is 90% deductible on your Federal income tax. Information about camping can be found here as well as a list of available motels. The grounds open for camping on Sunday, July 18th.

The Site

Hoover Y Park in Locbourne, OH (just south of Columbus, see map below) is a fine venue for attending, viewing, and listening to a bluegrass festival. It is within covenient driving distance of the major population centers of the mid-west and mid-south and offers both good camping facilities as well as lots of convenient nearby hotels and motels. The site itself is quite spacious while keeping all parts of the grounds within easy walking distance. A new stage will eliminate the problems previously posed when there was rain as well as making it easier for the superb sound crew to install its speakers while managing the volume and quality of the sound. At MACC, the sound can be heard everywhere while never becoming too harsh or too loud. This is all made possible through the use of the most up-to-date sound equipment to be found at any bluegrass festival. The lower level creek side camping area provides a pleasant getaway, while the two other camping areas are near the action as well as providing centers for the jamming that goes on late into the night. Conveniently located toliet facilities and a shower trailer are kept reasonably clean. Food vendors are centrally located and artist merchandise tables line a walkway to stage right. There's lots of shade making the performance area generally comfortable. Rules are sufficiently lax to permit attendees to choose their enjoyment while at the same time being enforced to keep people from getting out of line. This provides an excellent balance.

The Sound Crew at the Giant Board