STAPLETON, Ala. — The Stapleton Bluegrass Festival returns to the grounds of Stapleton School on Saturday, Oct. 31, with six bands, headliner the Amanda Cook Band, a lineup of food and beverage trucks and a full slate of family activities planned from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For the small, rural public elementary school in central Baldwin County, the festival is far more than a day of music. School officials describe it as Stapleton’s biggest and most important fundraiser of the year, and the money it brings in goes toward resources and educational experiences for the school’s students.
This fall’s event will be the ninth edition of the festival since the community tradition was revived in 2018. In that relatively short time, organizers say, it has earned a reputation as “one of the best music festivals in the region,” and supporters have gone so far as to call it “the finest Bluegrass festival on the Gulf Coast!”
A lineup that spans generations and styles
Organizers have assembled a bill that mixes nationally touring acts with longtime Alabama favorites and regional performers, giving the audience a blend of traditional bluegrass and more contemporary sounds over the course of the afternoon. The six acts scheduled to perform are the Amanda Cook Band, Remedy Tree, Three on a String, The Old Mixed Tapes, Cowgirl Up Collective and The Bailiwicks.
Amanda Cook Band
Topping the bill is the Amanda Cook Band, a group known for pairing traditional bluegrass roots with a modern edge. Festival organizers point to the band’s heartfelt storytelling, close harmonies and strong instrumental work. The band’s résumé includes appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, The Station Inn and IBMA World of Bluegrass, and Amanda Cook’s recordings have climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart.
For readers less familiar with the genre’s landmarks, those are notable credits. The Grand Ole Opry is the long-running Nashville radio show and stage that has been a pillar of country music for a century. The Station Inn is a small Nashville club that has long been regarded as one of the country’s best-known rooms for bluegrass. IBMA World of Bluegrass is the annual gathering organized by the International Bluegrass Music Association, the genre’s professional trade organization.
Remedy Tree
Remedy Tree, an Americana band based in Florida, draws on bluegrass, old-time and folk traditions. The group earned a nomination for the IBMA’s 2026 Momentum Band of the Year Award, a category that recognizes emerging talent. Remedy Tree has toured across the eastern United States and has also performed in Ireland and England. Along the way, its members have shared stages with Ricky Skaggs, Peter Rowan, Sister Sadie and The Steeldrivers.
Three on a String
Few acts in the state can match the longevity of Three on a String, which has been entertaining Alabama audiences for more than 50 years. The group’s shows combine acoustic music and tight harmonies with a healthy dose of comedy. Its contributions have been honored with induction into both the Alabama Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
The Old Mixed Tapes
The Old Mixed Tapes got their start at a campfire jam at Old Rex Music Park. The Alabama band’s sound blends traditional bluegrass and bluegrass gospel, with hard-driving instrumentals, three-part harmonies, nostalgic touches of Americana and gospel numbers woven into its sets.
Cowgirl Up Collective
Cowgirl Up Collective brings together Julie and Bridget with Cliff Abbott, a veteran Alabama bassist, songwriter and entertainer. The trio’s repertoire ranges across traditional bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, original songs and crowd favorites, all delivered with solid instrumentation and harmony singing.
The Bailiwicks
Rounding out the lineup is The Bailiwicks, a band from the Mobile area that puts a Gulf Coast spin on the genre with a style it calls “Baygrass.” The group uses the standard bluegrass instruments but takes a looser, less traditional approach. The band sums up its sound as a combination of laid-back grooves, twangy claw-hammer stompers and “take-you-to-church” harmonies.
Clawhammer, for those curious, is an old-time banjo technique in which the player strikes the strings with a downward motion of the hand rather than picking upward with the fingers, producing a rhythmic, percussive sound closely associated with Appalachian string-band music.
State grants recognize the festival’s reach
The festival has drawn support from two state grants this year. It received a community arts grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the state agency that supports arts programming across Alabama, as well as an Alabama Department of Tourism Legislative Event Grant, which was secured with support from state Rep. Donna Givens.
According to organizers, the grant funding will help the festival keep bringing a high-quality musical event to Stapleton while continuing to benefit the school and its students.
Sponsors sought to cover upfront costs
Staging a festival of this size and caliber requires considerable spending before the first note is played, and the school is asking businesses and supporters to step in as sponsors to help ensure the event is a financial success.
Sponsorships are offered at several levels, each with its own set of benefits. Sponsors are recognized on festival signage and on the websites and social media accounts of both the festival and the school system.
School officials say sponsor support does double duty: it helps sustain a festival that has become an important regional event, and it expands educational opportunities for Stapleton students.
Background: a uniquely American sound
Bluegrass grew out of the string-band and old-time music of the Appalachian region and took shape as a distinct style in the 1940s, most closely associated with Kentucky-born mandolinist Bill Monroe and his band, the Blue Grass Boys, whose name eventually gave the genre its label. The classic bluegrass lineup centers on acoustic instruments — typically banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, upright bass and often the resonator guitar known as the Dobro — with players trading instrumental solos and singers blending in tight, high harmonies.
Gospel has been part of bluegrass from the beginning, which is why several acts on this year’s Stapleton bill describe their music as including bluegrass gospel. Over the decades, the genre has also branched into newer forms, with many contemporary bands borrowing from folk, Americana and other styles while keeping the acoustic instrumentation at the heart of the music. The Stapleton lineup reflects that range, from the decades-old Alabama traditions of Three on a String to the modern sound of the headliners and the Gulf Coast twist of The Bailiwicks.
What festivalgoers should know
Here is a quick look at the key details released by organizers:
- What: Stapleton Bluegrass Festival, a fundraiser for Stapleton School
- When: Saturday, Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Where: Stapleton School, 35480 Harriot Avenue, Stapleton
- Lineup: Amanda Cook Band (headliner), Remedy Tree, Three on a String, The Old Mixed Tapes, Cowgirl Up Collective and The Bailiwicks
- Also on site: Multiple food and beverage trucks and activities for families throughout the day
Because the festival falls on Halloween this year, families may want to plan their day accordingly, as the music wraps up in the late afternoon. As with any outdoor event in the fall on the Gulf Coast, attendees should keep an eye on the weather forecast as the date approaches, dress for the conditions and bring sun protection and water.
Businesses or individuals interested in sponsoring the festival can reach out to Stapleton School to learn about the available sponsorship levels and the benefits attached to each.