Molly Kate Cherryholmes plays the fiddle with the rest of the family Friday night at Wartrace MusicFest. (T-G Photo by William Mitchell) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Molly Kate is the youngest member of the Cherryholmes family band, which includes her father Jere, mother Sandy Lee, sister Cia Leigh, and brothers B.J. and Skip.

The family's sizzling bluegrass electrified the audience as it headlined the first night of the two-day event.

"People say that bluegrass music has to change or evolve or it will die," leader Jere says on the band's Web site. "Well, if you change something from one thing to another it isn't alive anyway. I don't really think it needs to be changed. It just needs new life breathed into it. I feel like maybe I'm offerring that with my family."

Hundreds of folks from Bedford County and beyond showed up to enjoy Friday night's show.

Emily Woodward, of Brentwood, enjoys the mellow atmosphere at the Wartrace MusicFest Friday. (T-G Photo by William Mitchell) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

"It's awesome," said Emily Woodward, of Brentwood, who basked in the fading sunlight prior to the Cherryholmes performance. "It's very mellow. Friendly people and a nice atmosphere."

Seven-year-old Chloe Blessing, of Shelbyville, was looking forward to the Cherryholmes performance as she took time out to select an amethyst necklace from the wares of Edie Clark, of Pegram, one of the many vendors at the event.

"I really like it," Chloe said of the festival. She is the daughter of Mike and Tracy Blessing of Shelbyville, and was at the festival with her grandmother, Jean Pruitt, and her "Paw Paw," Jim Young.

"She loved it; she's going back tonight," Tracy said of her daughter in a Saturday afternoon telephone interview. "She's a big music fan of all kinds."

Saturday's activities began at 10 a.m. at the Walking Horse Hotel with the J.W. Gallagher Memorial Guitar Contest, which was won by Roy Curry, of Chattanooga.

The grand prize was a custom-made G-55 hand-crafted Gallagher guitar valued at $4,200, which was designed by Stephen Gallagher, Don's son, in memory of his grandfather, J.W. Gallagher, who founded Gallagher Guitars in 1965.

"I was pleased with the turnout for the contest," said Stephen Gallagher. "We're going to do it again next year."

The second-place prize of $200 and 52 sets of GHS guitar strings went to Tyler Grant, of Nashville. The third-place prize of $100 was claimed by Robert Bowlin, of Cobden, Ill.

Former national flat pick champion Adam Wright was the head judge, and sponsors included Gallagher Guitars, GHS Strings, the Walking Horse Hotel and Regions Bank.

The contest took place in the historic hotel's Chais Music Lounge, which was created in memory of L. Chais Peters, the late wife of hotel owner Joe Peters.

As of Saturday afternoon, organizers were hoping for continued good weather and an even bigger crowd to show up for the second-day lineup, to be headlined by Marty Stuart.

Stuart, who has six top-10 country hits, one platinum and five gold albums, and four Grammy Awards, has collaborated with many artists, including Lester Flatt and Bob Dylan.

Cherryholmes was named Entertainer of the Year in 2005 by the International Bluegrass Musicians Association and was nominated for a Grammy in 2006 for its self-titled album.

The festival was co-sponsored by the Town of Wartrace and the Wartrace Chamber of Commerce and took place at the town's horse show grounds.

-- City Editor John Carney contributed to this report.