BRUNSWICK

The Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival is in its 34th year this Labor Day weekend. An annual summer’s-end favorite, the festival takes place this year from August 28-31 at the Thomas Point Beach Campground in Brunswick.

August 28th is a preview day, with the main festival occurring on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

This year, the festival is pleased to present Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. This will be Dr. Stanley’s final tour, at age 87. He selected a few festivals he wanted to attend before he bids farewell to the scene, and Thomas Point was on the top of his list. The event is billed as the “Man of Constant Sorrow” tour. It’s not to be missed … a significant piece of the bluegrass world will soon pass into history.

Also on the roster is the 75th birthday tour of Del McCoury out of Pennsylvania, and his lively band. McCoury has won 31 International Bluegrass Music Association awards over his long career.

Dailey and Vincent are also scheduled to appear, representing the “youth” contingent … at least relatively. Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent partnered up in 2007, with fantastic vocal blends and four award winning studio albums.

There are many more bands as well, some well-known, some fresh and just starting out. All will be worth a listen.

Tickets for all four days are $150, and that includes camping for the whole event. Each single day’s ticket is $50, except for Thursday, when the ticket price is only $35. Teen tickets are half the adult price for each day when accompanied by an adult. Children under 12 are free.

For more information, or to order tickets online, visit http://thomaspointbeach.com/sp ecial.