Missouri Valley, Iowa.....Going into it's 30th year of production, the National Old Time Music Festival and Pioneer Expo of Arts and Crafts are looking forward to the record number of individual "State" programs being staged this year.

According to the National Traditional Country Music Association, President, Bob Everhart, "We have always had participation from various states staging and showcasing their own very special talent in the acoustic style of old-time music, but 2005 is a record year for us in participants. Normally we might have five or six states, located near Iowa, that participate. This year we have thirteen."

The festival, a part of the Pioneer Ag Expo, is held at the Harrison County Fairgrounds, in Missouri Valley, Iowa, about nineteen miles north of Omaha/Council Bluffs. Dates for this year's event is August 29-September 4. The festival boasts ten performing sound stages, over 600 performers, a tipi village, workshops, contests, and many celebrities.

According to Everhart, "We usually get Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, and Illinois for sure participating in our "State Shows." This year we not only have those five great states, we also have the states of Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, Arkansas, South Dakota, Michigan, Kansas, and Colorado, all presenting outstanding performances and performers from their respective states. It's amazing to see what the individual states bring to our stages in the form of entertainment. It seems like every state is different too, with different kinds of fiddling for instance that stands out for some states. Others specialize in pioneer music, and some specialize in old-time country and folk music. All of it seems to be top of the line entertainment to me."

The National Old Time Music Festival has ten sound stages: The main stage; pioneer stage; dance hall stage; Dobrotorium stage; South Texas stage; Church stage; Lawn Stage; American Heritage stage; Workshop stage; and Tipi Village stage. All stages run simultaneously all seven days of the festival from 9am to midnight every day.

"It takes a lot of great entertainment to fill ten stages for seven days," says Everhart, "therefore we have over 600 performers. We also have many visiting performers from foreign countries, and so many Canadian country singers come to our festival, they have four shows devoted strictly to Canadian performers. I personally like it all, but I really like to see our own states becoming involved in one of the finest old-time acoustic music events in America. Our association is made up mostly of rural people, and it is this group of American's that are so determined to see that their favorite old-time country, bluegrass, and folk music is not only preserved, but performed and perpetuated. It's why we exist."

Everhart, and the NTCMA have a website up at http://www.oldtimemusic.bigstep.com for complete information about this years festival, including the thirteen state shows. More information can also be obtained by writing P O Box 492, Anita, Iowa, 50020, or calling 712-762-4363

Press Release Submitted By:
National Traditional Country Music Association, Inc. (501(c)3 non profit)
P.O. Box 492, Anita, Iowa, 50020
Telephone: 712-762-4363
E-Mail: greatplainsbluegrass@yahoo.com

Press Release Prepared By: Virginia Armstrong, Press Secretary

Kris Kristofferson, Jim Foglesong inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame

NASHVILLE, Tennesse (AP) Monday, May 02, 2005 - The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has two new inductees: singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and former industry executive Jim Foglesong.

The two received their awards Sunday after musical salutes from artists including Ray Price, Guy Clark, Vince Gill, Billy Joe Shaver, The Oak Ridge Boys, T. Graham Brown and Garth Brooks.

Kristofferson, 68, has written hits such as Help Me Make It Through the Night, Me and Bobby McGee and Sunday Morning Coming Down. A Rhodes Scholar, Kristofferson also is a successful actor with roles in movies such as A Star is Born, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and Payback.

Foglesong, 82, was president of the Nashville divisions of ABC Records, MCA and Capitol. He now teaches a course on the music business at Vanderbilt University. Click here to order CD.

J. K. Coltrain's New CD Is Scheduled For Release Later This Month

(May 3, 2005) - J. K. is currently putting together a road tour with his group, "The Nashvillains", in support of his new CD scheduled for release in late May. He is very excited about it and the great people he has working with him now, so stay tuned for more from J. K. & The Nashvillains, and be sure and watch for their appearance in your neighborhood. We guarantee it is a show that you will not soon forget.

Click here to go to The Official Web Site Of J. K. Coltrain

Click here to listen to a clip of J. K. singing, The Way I Feel Tonight.

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