Papa Joe Smiddy Mountain Music Festival is a celebration of Appalachian music. Old Time and Bluegrass music have a long history in the mountains of Appalachia, and the Cove Ridge Foundation wants to preserve these traditions as well as instill a passion for them in our youth. The Festival is named for UVA Wise Chancellor Emeritus Dr. Joseph C. “Papa Joe” Smiddy, a well-known educator, entertainer, and old-time musician. We're proud to be a co-sponsor of the festival and, alongside our partners at Natural

Tunnel State Park and the Cove Ridge Foundation, participate in the local arts traditions of our region. 

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The 22nd annual Papa Joe Smiddy Mountain Music Festival will be held at the Natural Tunnel State Park amphitheater on Sunday, August 31st from 5–8 p.m. Admission will not be charged; the $5 Natural Tunnel State Park parking fee still applies. 

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Featured performers include Dr. Joe Smiddy & Reedy Creek, Roan Street Ramblers, and the UVA Wise Papa Joe Smiddy Bluegrass Band! Food and craft vendors and activities for children will be on-site. Sales are cash only. For questions, call (276) 940-2696.

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MUSIC LINEUP:

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Dr. Joe Smiddy & Reedy Creek​

​Dr. Joe Smiddy & Reedy Creek have played together for more than four decades. Reflecting the broad musical tastes of Papa Joe, the band plays a variety of old-time music and original songs. Papa Joe started “Pickin’ in the Park,” the summer Sunday afternoon get-togethers at Natural Tunnel designed to encourage children and families to play music.

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Roan Street Ramblers​

The Roan Street Ramblers are a family Bluegrass band from Johnson City, Tennessee. The band consists of five members of the Smith family: the mother Leslie, and Lucy (14), River (12), and Sawyer (10) and friend Gary Taylor. Vocalist and guitarist Leslie is an alumnus of East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music program. The band has won awards at numerous fiddle conventions and festivals across Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia.

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UVA Wise Papa Joe Smiddy Bluegrass Band​

Organized by former UVA Wise band director and music instructor, Richard Galyean, the UVA Wise Papa Joe Smiddy Bluegrass Band has made a mark regionally in traditional mountain music circles and beyond. The band has been featured on radio, released recorded material, and performed for the Transatlantic Dialogue Conference in Luxembourg.

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While there is fixed seating under roof, additional seating is available and used on the grass behind the fixed seating, so festival-goers are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket. A shuttle will be available for festivalgoers with accessibility needs, it will take them to the backstage level and bring them back up to the parking lot when they are ready to go home.

 

In 2025, festival admission is free of charge, there is a $5 per vehicle parking fee. Festivalgoers are welcome to donate to the Cove Ridge Foundation, but no payment will be expected. For additional information on the event, you may call the Cove Ridge Center at (276) 940-2674 or visit the Center’s webpage or Facebook page.

 

Proceeds from the festival go into the Cove Ridge Foundation’s Papa Joe Smiddy Scholarship Fund. The Papa Joe Smiddy Mountain Music Festival is an affiliated site on the Crooked Road.

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Pro-Art partners with a variety of venues, for accessibility inquiries or general questions, call (276) 376-4520 or email contact@proartva.org. For weather related updates, patrons are encouraged to check proartva.org for real-time information.

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Pro-Art is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the C. Bascom Slemp Foundation, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, and Mountain Empire Community College.

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