BLUFF COUNTRY GATHERING
May 14-17, 2026
2026 Staff
MICK & EVAN KINNEY, father and son from Georgia, are devoted to the
preservation and performance of Georgia old time tunes and songs. Since 1976
Mick has accompanied various old time Georgia fiddlers , as well as 1920s
recording artist Stranger Malone, and continues playing for dances, festivals,
teaching fiddle, banjo and guitar at camps and residencies. Evan, growing up in
a family of old time music and learning from his father from an early age, has
honed his skills by studying the music of early string band players like Earl
Johnson, Seven Foot Dilly and the Skillet Lickers. Also a multi-instrumentalist,
Evan is also an experiences teacher of traditional music.
ALI KAFKA cut her teeth living as an itinerant street musician, largely anchored in New Orleans, Louisiana but bouncing around the south supporting herself through music as she went. She now lives in East Tennessee with her fiddle-playing beau Henry and their dogs, where she works full-time as a mental health therapist and social worker. Her musical focus has always been finger-style guitar, but as time passed, her love for early blues and hillbilly guitar styles brought her into the world of old time music, where the vibrant community and the connections she made through it led her to become quite passionate as an old time musician as well. Ali is a self-taught folk musician through and through, learning by ear and feel, and that is the perspective from which she teaches. She is often recognized for her unique and driving sound, creative bass lines and syncopation, influenced by the early recording era of acoustic roots music.
LARRY EDELMAN has called dances and played music for about 50 years. He is a square dance caller who delights both novice and veteran dancers with his humor, enthusiasm, skillful teaching, knowledge of dance history, and colorful calling. Larry has traveled widely, calling and playing for dances throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, has taught hundreds of workshops at camps and festivals, including the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Ashokan, Augusta, Pinewoods and Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp. He has served as the coordinator of the Augusta Heritage Arts Workshop’s Dance Week and the Country Dance and Song Society’s American Dance Week at Pinewoods. As a musician, Larry plays old-time music on the fiddle, mandolin, and guitar and has performed and recorded numerous bands. Also a filmmaker, his movies include "Dance to the Music and Listen to the Calls", "The Canote Twins", and "Dance All night--The Highwoods Stringband Story". He lives in Denver, CO.
COOLMULE consists of fiddler Genevieve Koester, guitarist Jesse Woolen-Danner, banjo player Sam Bartlett and bassist Abby Ladin. Genevieve and Jesse grew up watching their dads Garry Harrison and Dave Danner play with the legendary Indian Creek Delta Boys, an exciting Midwestern band whose tune and song collecting and playing greatly enriched the music scene. When Garry moved from Illinois to Bloomington, Sam and Abby joined him for his acclaimed recording "Red Prairie Dawn". Decades later CoolMule carries on that family legacy, exploring the traditional music of downstate Illinois. They call Bloomington, IN home.
GORDY HINNERS, known for his driving fretless banjo style and his masterful, rhythmic flatfooting, has been performing traditional Appalachian music and dance for over 50 years. He spent many years touring with the well-known and influential dance company, the Green Grass Cloggers, and for over 20 years with the New Southern Ramblers with master fiddler Ralph Blizard, a National Heritage Fellow. Gordy has won top prizes in banjo and dance at fiddlers conventions throughout the South and has taught banjo and flatfoot dance at many workshops throughout the country and around the world, including the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes (WA), Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Workshops (NY), the Swannanoa Gathering (NC), Augusta (WV), and Gainsborough, UK. He has performed at many venues large and small in the US and abroad, from the Kennedy Center to the Carter Family Fold. Gordy lives with his wife Rebecca in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
Born and raised in Saint Albans, WV, TESSA MCCOY is a 7-time West Virginia State fiddle champion. Known for her hard-driving and intricate style, she's learned from and played extensively with WV fiddle masters Bobby Taylor, Jake Krack and Dave Bing and in appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, showcasing her fiddling as Traditional Grand Master Fiddle Champion. A passionate educator, she has taught at music camps such as the Augusta Heritage Center, Swannanoa Gathering and Allegheny Echoes. She is also the 2024 winner of the prestigious fiddle contest at the Appalachian String Band Festival at Clifftop, WV.
The 2026 workshop schedule will be posted here in March.
About the Bluff Country Gathering
The Bluff Country Gathering is a four-day event presenting traditional American music, dance and singing styles. Workshops, conducted by a staff of nationally acclaimed musicians, singers, dancers and folklorists, are designed to pass along the traditions of old-time music to participants at all levels of experience. If you want to take workshops, you must register for the whole weekend. Cost is $250 and includes workshops, concert, dance. The registration form is at the bottom of this page. A limited number of scholarships are available. Application deadline March 10, 2026. Application information is below.
PUBLIC EVENTS: A concert on Friday night features all the staff musicians. The Barn Dance on Saturday night includes live music by staff musicians and caller. No experience or partner required for this dance.
CONCERT: Friday May 15 at 8:00 PM at the Lanesboro Community Center. Tickets available at the door only. $15.00
BARN DANCE: Saturday, May 16 at 8:00 PM at the Lanesboro Community Center. Tickets available at the door only. $10.00
REGISTRATION: $250 for all events. If you plan to take workshops, full registration is required. No refunds after May 1. Registration accepted beginning January 6, 2025.
Please fill out the entire registration form. Registrations not accepted until January 8 2026. PDF Registration Form
Name: __________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: __________________________________________________________________________________
Email: __________________________________________________________________________________
Name/address on the roster? Yes _____ No _____ (The roster will be available to all students.)
Any student age 16 or under must be accompanied by a fully registered parent or guardian.
Meals: Please select only one Veggie___ Meat___
If you have food allergies or special needs, you must notify us before May 1st.
Interested in volunteering? Most of our registered students help out doing small jobs at the weekend, like setting up tables and chairs for meals and concerts, helping in the kitchen, sitting at the sales table during the public concert or dance, to name a few. Even the smallest help is greatly appreciated. If you check yes, someone will contact you about matching you to an agreeable task.
Yes, I'd like to help. _____ No, not this time. _____
Make checks payable to Bluff Country Gathering and mail to 18287 Gap Drive, Spring Grove, MN 55974.
Or pay online and be sure to submit your registration information.
Housing is not provided by the Gathering. Lanesboro has many B&Bs, boarding houses, motels and campgrounds in town and nearby. For a listing of these go to www.lanesboro.com or call the tourist office at 800-944-2670.
Thursday Night Potluck dinner starting at 6 pm at the Sons of Norway Hall. Bring a dish to share. Plates/cups/napkins/silverware will be provided. The kitchen will not be available for cooking/ cleaning up/storing leftovers.
Friday and Saturday Lunch will be at 12:00 PM in the Community Center.
Sunday Potluck will be at 9:30 AM in the Community Center.
What else to bring? Recording devices are suggested, since most of the workshops will be taught aurally.
E-mail: bluffcountrygathering@gmail.com
Bluff Country Gathering
18287 Gap Dr.
Spring Grove, MN 55974 (507) 498-5452
The Bluff Country Gathering is a 501(c) non-profit organization. Any donations are tax deductible.
Scholarships
The Bluff Country Gathering strives to offer a limited number of scholarships each year. Scholarships cover admission to all workshops, the Friday night concert, Saturday night dance, Thursday night potluck, Friday and Saturday lunches, and Sunday potluck brunch.
Scholarship applications must be received by 11:59pm CST on March 1, 202
5. The number of scholarships the Gathering can award varies year to year based on the number of requests and funds available. Applicants will be notified whether or not the Gathering is able to award their scholarship by March 30, 2025.Please note: As the Gathering does not provide housing, scholarship recipients will still need to cover their own housing and transportation costs, along with the cost of any meals not listed above.
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://forms.gle/FUHKm1moi15haQvt8
If you would like to request a hard copy of the application, please contact bluffcountrygathering@gmail.