A Message from Joe and Darlene Quealy, continued:

This festival has quite a history. The first five years -- when it was known as "Camp Rude" - evolved from the enduring vision of Pat and Rosie Conway. They were the ones who happened across Parkfield and fostered the idea of having a festival in this magical place. To them and all the wonderful people who helped with the Camp Rude festivals, we all owe a good deal of gratitude. They laid the foundation for this terrific event and it was a lot of work. It paid off -- we're all still at Parkfield every Mother's Day Weekend.

The Varian family and all the other friendly folks in Parkfield are also owed a great deal of gratitude. The staff at the inn and café have all done their utmost to make this festival what it is today.

Mother Nature and the Good Lord have been good to us all. By and large the weather that we have had on Mother's Day Weekend for the past nine years has been great. There have been a couple of glitches, but we all survived and had a great time in spite of a few occasional sprinkles.

Parkfield is, and always will be, a very special place for all of us. The wonderful memories, new friends we've made and all the great music that we've enjoyed together are priceless treasures.

In the years that Darlene and I managed the festival, we strived to continue the fun and wonderful experiences. It was a real challenge at times, but with all your wonderful help, we plowed through it and had a good time in the process.

Our transition out of festival management began with the formation of the Bluegrass Music Society of the Central Coast (BMSCC) last year. It, like several other similar organizations in California, is dedicated to maintaining the traditions of bluegrass music and especially events like the Parkfield Bluegrass Festival. Darlene and I encourage all of you to become members of BMSCC and become involved in its endeavors to make this event your own.

With BMSCC's assumption of festival management, we are positive the dedication of our successors will ensure this marvelous event is carried on for decades to come. With the continued help of all the great folks who have helped BMSCC since its founding, future Parkfield festivals can't miss. Darlene and I will still be involved as part of the team. We hope you will, too. More information about BMSCC is available at www.bmscc.org.

We look forward to sharing another great festival with all of you in Parkfield next year on Mother's Day Weekend.

Thanks,

Joe n Darlene