The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s outreach initiative ROMP Around Town is back for its fourth year, expanding its reach to 12 bands performing at 12 locations including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and Wendell Foster.
The effort is part of the Bluegrass Music Academy, the educational arm of the museum. Organizers say the program is about inclusion and bringing the spirit of ROMP Festival to those who may not be able to attend in person.
“We see this as an opportunity to make the elderly and disabled feel a part of all the excitement around ROMP, and since some cannot come to ROMP, we bring it to them,” the release said.
The lineup includes local acts such as Shrimp n Grits, The Fletcher Family, Old State Road, Randall Howard and Friends, Kevin Bowlds and Friends, Lucy Jagoe Chaney and Emmie Kate Williams, Michael and Allison Hoover, River City Strings, and the Bluegrass Museum Band Class led by Sarah and Parker Malone.
Many of the bands have roots in the Academy’s educational programming. Sarah and Parker Malone began as students and now help lead the band class that has performed bi-weekly in local nursing homes for over a year. Shrimp n Grits features museum staffer Deb Fillman and former students, while River City Strings formed through the museum’s Bluegrass Band Project.
“I saw this vision years ago and now am seeing it in action,” said Education Director Randy Lanham. “Sometimes people just need to be equipped —confidence, training, and a hand to get started — and they take off.”
Those interested in joining the outreach team can contact Lanham at [email protected] to learn more.
