Status Active Frequency Annually Years active 1974-present Dates 10 Jun – 12 Jun 2016 | Genre Festival Country United States Founder Don Tucker | |
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Location Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park, Ontario, California, United States Similar Festival of the Bluegrass, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, Topanga Banjo•Fiddle Contest, MerleFest Profiles | ||
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The Huck Finn Jubilee Bluegrass Music Festival or simply The Huck Finn Jubilee is an annual three-day bluegrass event held in Ontario, California. It is held during the second weekend in June at the Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park and features RV and tent camping, traditional "Americana" activities, and live bluegrass music. The festival also features activities, such as greased pole climbing, tomahawk throwing, pie eating, river rafting, and arts and crafts. The event is also the West Coast’s biggest bluegrass festival, with acts such as The String Cheese Incident, Ralph Stanley, Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers, and Rhonda Vincent.
Contents
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History
The history of the Jubilee began in Norco, California in the early 70's. Tuckers, David "Russ" and Maureen Russell, Steve and Sandy Perault and Christianson each had a hand in making it a success before it ever moved to and including Victorville.
The Huck Finn Jubilee Bluegrass Music Festival was founded by Don Tucker and his family in 1976 and was eventually held at the Mojave Narrows Regional Park in Victorville, California, on Father’s Day weekend. The festival, which at first featured mostly local talent as the bluegrass entertainment, achieved success in its first few years, with attendance as high as 7,000.
In 1989, Bobby Osborne of bluegrass duo The Osborne Brothers called Tucker to ask if he would book them for Friday night, as they were "stuck on the West Coast". In the following years after their performance at the Huck Finn Jubilee Bluegrass Music Festival, Tucker began booking national talent such as The Country Gentlemen, The Seldom Scene, Jimmy Martin, J.D. Crowe, Larry Sparks, Tony Rice, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Lonesome River Band, among others. In 2001, the Huck Finn Jubilee was named the bluegrass event of the year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.
After Don Tucker died in 2012, the festival moved to Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park in Ontario, California, for the following year. In May 2014, Michael Krouse and the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau acquired the festival to ensure its continuation.
In November 2014, Huck Finn Jubilee officials announced that starting in 2015, the festival will be held annually during the second weekend in June to facilitate event planning and avoid potential conflict with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, which is held the third weekend in June.
Acts
Notable performers at the event include acts such as Sam Bush, The String Cheese Incident, Ralph Stanley, Rhonda Vincent, Del McCoury Band, David Byrne, Johnny Cash, Cherryholmes, Elvis Costello, David Byrne, John Fogerty, Dixie Chicks, New Monsoon, Sharon Gilchrist, Railroad Earth, New Grass Revival, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant, John Prine, Yonder Mountain String Band, Mumford & Sons, Peter Rowan, Leftover Salmon, Béla Fleck, Chris Thile, Noam Pikelny, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Tim O'Brien, Counting Crows, Nickel Creek, Lyle Lovett, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers among others.