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CONTACT: Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association

PHONE: 256.350.3500 / 800.648.5381

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TOE TAPPING TRIBUTE TO COUNTRY MUSIC STARS DELMORE BROTHERS SET FOR JUNE 25

Annual event named to Alabama’s Top 50 Must-See Music Festivals in 2011

Decatur, Ala. – Country music pioneers and stars of the Grand Ole Opry throughout the 1930s Rabon and Alton Delmore are honored with a one day festival featuring live bluegrass and gospel music in their hometown of Athens, Ala. The fourth annual Delmore Days is slated for June 25, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., at Founders Hall on the campus of Athens State University. This year’s event has been named one of 50 must-see music festivals by the Alabama Tourism Department in celebration of the 2011 Year of Alabama Music.

Gates open at 9 a.m. with live music beginning at 11 a.m. and running continuously throughout the day. Scheduled to perform are The Majestics, Barren River Trio, Dixie Bluegrass, Lacey Snider and Turkey Creek Ramblers, Hovis Family Band, David Russell, and Just Down the Road. Headlining this year’s event are five of the best musicians in bluegrass music coming together for a memorable performance. Jim and Inge Wood, Chris Scruggs, Tracy Latham, and Dennis Crouch will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Along with live music, there will be a good ol’ trade day with arts and crafts and a variety of food vendors. Noted musician David Russell will conduct a free guitar workshop beginning at 2 p.m. in Founders Hall. The workshop is designed for beginners and intermediate musicians with a goal to teach attendees a Delmore Brothers’ song. Russell is a guitarist/multi-instrumentalist who plays finger, flatpicking and slide style and has a four octave vocal range. He has appeared or toured with Doc and Merle Watson, Earl Scruggs, Steve Martin, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dr. Hook, and many other great performers.

Gate admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children. Children five years old and under are admitted free. The annual event, held rain or shine, is sponsored by the Greater Limestone County Chamber of Commerce Tourism Council and the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention. For more information, contact the Athens-Limestone County Chamber of Commerce at 866.953.6565 or 256.232.5411 or visit www.delmoredays.com.

Alton Delmore (1908-1964) and Rabon Delmore (1916-1952), known as The Delmore Brothers, were born in Elkmont, Alabama. They were inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. For more information on The Delmore Brothers visit www.delmorebrothers.net.

About Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA)

AMLA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the travel industry within the 16 northernmost counties of the state. It is supported by 500-plus members consisting of chambers of commerce, Convention & Visitors Bureaus, attractions, campgrounds, festivals, communities, counties, golf courses, restaurants, tour operators, accommodations, vendors, financial institutions and individuals. Counties included within the AMLA region are Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan and Winston. Additional information on North Alabama destinations, accommodations and special events is available from AMLA by calling 800.648.5381 or by visiting their web site at www.NorthAlabama.org.

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