The 15th Annual Susanville Bluegrass Festival is just around the corner, and time is running out to secure your spot at the pre-festival Music Camp. Held from Tuesday, June 23rd through Thursday, June 25th, at the Lassen County Fairgrounds, this immersive camp offers a relaxing classroom atmosphere where you can improve your instrument playing and vocal skills. Best of all, camp organizers are giving participants a special opportunity to showcase their hard work by making a stage appearance on Friday at the main festival.
You will be learning from a roster of world-class educators who specialize in everything from vocals to banjo, mandolin, bass, and guitar.
Music Camp Director Rick Sparks, a veteran with over 40 years in the industry, brings smooth vocals and equal expertise across banjo, guitar, mandolin, dobro, and pedal steel. He will also host a free after-hours Jam Class for all camp attendees.
On bass, you will learn from Edgar Loudermilk, a two-time SPBGMA “Bass Fiddle Performer of the Year” and the 2024 Josie Music Awards “Bass Player of the Year,” who began playing bass in his family band at age nine and cut his teeth by learning the legendary “Bluegrass Album Band Volume 1” record.
The instructor lineup also features Dan Baker on mandolin, an active West Coast and Pacific Northwest bluegrass and country musician known for recording the album Off to California with the Piney Creek Weasels.
Tucker McCandless will head up the guitar instruction, bringing twenty-eight years of experience performing alongside Loudermilk, a powerhouse tenor vocal talent, and a background as a musical director for popular theater shows in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where he worked with the legendary Dolly Parton.
Rounding out the faculty is banjo instructor Anthony Howell, a former 4-time consecutive IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year nominee and 2023 Walnut Valley National Banjo Champion, who has toured with major bands like Williamson Branch and Edgar Loudermilk, and made his Grand Ole Opry stage debut in 2025.
Tuition for the camp is $225 plus card fees, which comes packed with exclusive perks to give you the ultimate festival experience. Registration automatically includes free camping from Monday, June 22nd through Thursday, June 25th. For those bringing an RV, the festival gates open at 10:00a.m. on Sunday, June 21st, with camp sites available on a first-come, first-served basis offering varying hookups or dry camping.
Additionally, camp organizers are offering a $20 discount on a 3-day Festival Pass, meaning you can experience the entire weekend of music for just $70 plus card fees when purchased online or at the gate.
You are guaranteed to come out of camp a better player, so don’t wait until spots fill up. Secure your registration today by visiting www.susanvillebluegrassfestival.com. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the organizers directly at [email protected] or by calling 1.530.251.3347.
