BLUEGRASS IN THE KO`OLAUS

at HO`OMALUHIA BOTANICAL GARDENS, Kaneohe, O`ahu
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday April 26 -29, 2013

Are you ready for the biggest bluegrass event of the year? Join us for our BLUEGRASS IN THE KO`OLAUS at Ho`omaluhia Botanical Garden on O`ahu!

If you're a musician, this is a great opportunity to do some serious jamming. If you just love listening, this weekend will make your ears very happy! It's a long way to the Mainland's awesome bluegrass festivals, but here's a chance to get a little taste of the festival experience. There's nothing quite as wonderful as picking around a campfire on a starry night! This event is FREE, but we will ask for voluntary donations to cover costs for the weekend.

The camp out will emphasize making music, learning songs and improving skills by jamming as much as possible with other musicians. Bluegrass Hawaii will provide lunches and pot luck dinners so please provide side dishes if possible! We will be accepting voluntary donations to help offset the cost of the meals. If you plan to camp, please prepare your own breakfasts.

Campers and visitors, bring a folding chair and a piece of firewood for the nightly campfire.

HOT NEWS

Bluegrass in the Ko`olaus kicks off FRIDAY, April 26, at magical Ho`omaluhia Botanical Garden in Kaneohe! Join us for one, two, three or four days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday April 26 - 29), as a happy camper or as a "day tripper"... as an acoustic musician, or as somebody who just loves to listen to great homegrown bluegrass and traditional music! ALL ARE WELCOME, and it's all FREE (though we gratefully accept donations!) Don't know how to get to Ho'omaluhia? HERE for a map to the gardens and the camp site. And for those of you who are akamai, GPS coordinates for the primary parking lot are N 21° 22.854', W 157° 48.011'.

Come set up your campsite (if you're camping) and start jamming anytime after 9:00 AM Friday when the park opens. Check out our park info, gate closings and MORE below!

We've got posters! Please click HERE to download a poster that you can print out and share. Let's get the word out about this event!

IF YOU WANT TO CAMP: Please email mikespengel@bluegrasshawaii.com immediately to sign up for camping; include your name, email address, phone number, number of people in your party, where you're from, how you learned of the camp, what nights you'll be joining us, and the instruments that you play. And check out camp rules & regs at listed below!

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, April 26
9:00 amPark opens; find your campsite, set up your tent and START JAMMING!
12:00 pmLunch
1:00 pmOpen Jamming
4:00 pmPark CLOSES to general public; anybody who stays needs a parking pass-see EXIT AND ENTRY, below
5:30 - 6:30 pmGate open for entry (cars with permits only) and exit
6:30 pmPotluck Dinner, Greetings, and Open No Mic
7:30 pm till ???Open Jamming, Campfire
9:00 - 9:15 pmGate open for EXIT ONLY
Saturday, April 27
9:00 amPark opens for entry and exit
9:30 amGuitar (fiddle tunes), Charlie Rosario
9:30 amBeginning Guitar Workshop, Jeb Wiemer
10:30 amMandolin Workshop, Dave Higgenbotham
11:30 pmSlow Jam, Bob Schornstheimer
11:30 amFiddle Workshop, Lesley Kline
BAND PERFORMANCES:
12:15 pmDiscord & Rye
12:50 pmSaddle Road
1:25 pmNorth Shore Ramblers
2:00 pmBluegrass Barnstormers
2:35 pmPatty Clayton
3:10 pmSaloon Pilots
4:00 pmPark CLOSES; see EXIT AND ENTRY, below
5:30 - 6:30 pmGate open for entry (cars with permits only) and exit
6:30 pmPotluck Dinner
7:00 pm till ????Open Jamming
9:00 - 9:15 pmGate open for EXIT ONLY
Sunday, April 28 -->
9:00 amPark opens for entry and exit
10:00 amGospel Sing, Pastor Harry
11:00 amAutoharp Workshop, Rene Berthiaume
11:00 pmBanjo Workshop, Steve Ryan
12:00 pmBand Scramble Signup!
12:30 pmBand Scramble Performances
4:00 pmPark CLOSES; see EXIT AND ENTRY, below
5:30 - 6:30 pmGate open for entry (cars with permits only) and exit
6:30 pmPotluck Dinner
7:00 pm til ????Open Jamming
9:00 - 9:15 pmGate open for EXIT ONLY
Monday, April 29
9:00 amCLEAN UP!
4:00 pmPark CLOSES; see EXIT AND ENTRY, below

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ENTRY & EXIT

This may be the most important thing you need to know about the park! Ho`omaluhia CLOSES at 4:00 PM every day, and the gates are closed and locked. However, there are two other gate openings:

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PARKING PASSES (ALL GUESTS)

ALL guests (campers and non-campers) who wish to stay past 4:00 PM on any day of our event must check in at the Visitors' Center to obtain parking passes for their vehicles. Please do this before proceeding to our site! The Visitors' Center is open between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM all four days of our event. You will need to provide your license plate number, make of your car, number of people in your party, and the name of your campground (Kahua Nui), and please let 'em know you're with the Bluegrass Hawai`i group.

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LATE ARRIVALS

If you cannot arrive at the Garden by 4PM on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, there's another very short window of opportunity on each day during which you can enter the gates. But you'll need to call ahead to arrange for a parking pass! On the day you plan to come, call the Visitors' Center at 233-7323 and ask them to leave your parking pass with the security guard. (Remember, you'll need to provide your license plate number, make of your car, number of people in your party, and the name of your campground--Kahua Nui--and let 'em know you're with Bluegrass Hawai`i!) If you arrive between 5:30 and 6:30 PM, the guard will let you in. That's right: between 5:30 and 6:30 PM!

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RULES OF THE GARDEN

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FOR CAMPERS ONLY

Sign Up Now: Camping is exclusively by permit with our group from 9AM Friday through 4PM Monday. Please contact mikespengel@bluegrasshawaii.com if you want to camp, so that we can add you to the List. Please include your name, email address, phone number, number of people in your party, where you're from, how you learned of the camp, and the instruments that you play. (You will still need to obtain a parking pass at the Visitors' Center, as mentioned above.)

Where To Camp: Please pitch your tent to the LEFT of the pavilion and up the gentle slope, as you're facing the mountains. If you pitch your tent close to the pavilion or restrooms, you will be asked to move it. Overflow camping is available across the street as well, but there's plenty of room on the Kahua Nui side!

What To Bring: The bathrooms have cold-water showers and sinks; the pavilion also has cold-water sinks. We will have potluck lunches and dinners, with Bluegrass Hawaii provided the main course. We will be accepting donations to help defray the cost, and please bring a side! You'll also need to bring: including...

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