|
Festival FounderJoe McClung Joe McClung started the Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival in August of 2003. The success of the festival is directly related to McClung's expertise as a promoter, his knowledge of bluegrass music, his personal relationships with scores of professional musicians, and bluegrass fans all over the country. The Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival isn't just about putting on a profitable event-the goal has been to create a festival which speaks to the music, the musicians, the fans, and to bring back some of the musical heritage of our community. The Festival is unique, and success, because Joe McClung is different. A musical, an antique collector, a biker, a successful businessman and promoter, a gambler, a cook, a Republican Catholic entrepreneur, a maverick, always laughing about something, unless nothing is entertaining, which isn't often for the man who creates his own entertainment from his immediate environment. And it's always quality. Born in Walnut, Kansas in 1949, Joseph Allen McClung and his ten siblings performed gospel, country, folk, and bluegrass music on radio and early television stations as soon as they reached school age. Joe sings tenor, and plays the piano, guitar and bass. He knows countless songs. The McClung family performed in Eureka Springs for the first time in 1956, so his history with live music performance in our town began nearly half a century ago. In 1973, McClung moved to Eureka Springs with his wife, Sandy, and their three children to join his father, Clell, and brother, Don, on the McClung realty business. Thousands of property sales later, Joe McClung is the man to ask about real estate in gear, which he displays at his Victorian storefront property on Singleton St., known as "the Boar's Nest", which is also home to a regulation size pool table and a vintage poker table from the Basin Park Hotel. A Harley Davidson rider-his bike is a Heritage Springer' 95 Anniversary Edition-he welcomes bikers at his hotel, the Swiss Holiday Resort. McClung can often be seen planting and tending the flower beds at the hotel, in his custom-made Stetson and an until cigar in his mouth. A lifetime of playing bluegrass music, forming relationships with musicians and fans alike, and McClung's natural aggressiveness in business and talent for promotion puts the Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival in a category all its own. The 2003 Bluegrass Festival attracted 5000 fans and showcased more than three dozen professional musicians; the headliner that year was Doc Watson. The 2004 shows were even better attended and fans enjoyed the music of Ralph Stanley, Jessie McReynolds, and many others. Music is all over town, at the historic Auditorium, in Basin Park, on the streets, in restaurants and hotels. There are jam sessions after hours at McClung's hotel- these are not to be missed. Joe McClung makes sure that the music is there for everyone, all weekend long and that the festival maintains a family atmosphere. In the Eskimo language, Aleut, there are over twenty words for "snow". Here are a few for "Joe": excruciatingly bright, passionate, driven, creative, conventional, controversial, conservative, positive, rebellious, outspoken, kindhearted, instinctual, unafraid, confident, loyal, and always surprising. The Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival is a one-of-a-kind event produced by a one-of-a-kind man. Don't miss it.
|
 |
