Bluegrass on the Snake returns to Rigby with three days of toe-tapping music
Published at | Updated at
RIGBY – A local couple invites you to celebrate one of America’s renowned musical genres during a three-day festival. The third annual Bluegrass on the Snake is happening Sept. 11 to Sept. 13 at the Rigby Rodeo Grounds.
Nine bands throughout the Pacific Northwest will be performing during the event. Performances will be happening from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Jake Workman, of Draper, Utah, former guitarist for Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, will headline the festival and host a two-hour guitar workshop on Saturday morning. Workshops on mandolin, banjo, bass and fiddle will also be available.
Teresa and Monty Mortensen are hosting the festival. Their band, Mountain Strings, is among the local bands performing. Teresa tells EastIdahoNews.com she’s excited for the festival’s return and the gathering of some of the best musicians in the country.
“We’ve got some of the best musicians in the country coming,” Teresa says. “We’ve got food trucks and lots of vendors coming in. There’s a lot happening.”
After attending bluegrass festivals in other states, the Mortensens decided to start one locally, and that’s how Bluegrass on the Snake was born. The first event was held in Idaho Falls in 2024. It was a one-day event intended to gauge public interest. The first three-day event was held at the Rigby Rodeo Grounds last year.
The Mortensens have been playing musical instruments for many years. They met while playing for the Idaho Old Time Fiddlers, and it’s a gig they’re still involved in today.
Teresa says she was introduced to the fiddle by a friend in first grade. She learned how to play on her grandfather’s fiddle, who she says could play “any stringed instrument.” It’s been a lifelong passion ever since.
“We both have a hard time getting enough of it!” Teresa says of her and her husband.
Over the years, Teresa says they’ve shared the stage with some of the top names in Bluegrass music. Workman, the festival’s headliner, has been a friend for several years. They’ve shared the stage with the East Tennessee Bluegrass band on several occasions, along with Chicago’s Special Consensus. Greg Blake, lead singer for Special Consensus, was nominated for male vocalist of the year from the International Bluegrass Music Association. Teresa says she’s hoping to book Blake and his band for next year’s festival.
Bluegrass music dates back to the 1940s and originated in the Appalachian region of the United States, according to the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation. It grew out of several musical traditions, including Scots-Irish and English folk music, African-American influences, Gospel music and country and string-band music.
Bill Monroe, of Kentucky, who formed a band called the Blue Grass Boys in the 1940s, is widely considered “the father of Bluegrass.” Kentucky is nicknamed the Bluegrass State, after the musical genre that gets its name from the state.
For anyone who’s interested in learning to play a stringed instrument, Monty says this is a good opportunity to learn from some of the best musicians in the country.
“They’re going to see some of the best musicians in the country on stage playing those instruments. It’s very motivating … to see that happen right in front of you,” Monty says.
Camping will be available in the parking lot and in the rodeo grounds for those who are interested. Full weekend passes or single-day passes are available. To buy tickets or learn more, click here.