Though it’ll be hard to match last year’s performance from Ralph Stanley (rest in peace, Dr. Stanley), Murfreesboro’s annual Uncle Dave Macon Days at Cannonsburgh Village features the best of old-time music and bluegrass. Legendary acts like Doyle Lawson and relative newcomers like The Hogslop String Band are worth the cheap ticket — $10 a day — but the national competitions are the most fun to watch. The best of the best in guitar, mandolin, bluegrass banjo and clogging — among other acts — will compete for the top spots in each category. The rivalries are fascinating to see and worth the drive south, since most of them go back decades into the picking tradition. This year the festival, which started as a banjo-picking contest in downtown Murfreesboro in 1978, will also feature a jug band contest — and the opportunity to view the world’s largest cedar bucket. AMANDA HAGGARD
Uncle Dave Macon Days Music and Arts Festival
