by John Dowd
The Annual Montana Rockies Bluegrass Association (MRBA) Bluegrass Festival and Fundraiser is back on Saturday, April 18. Tickets are on sale now, and according to Mike Conroy, president of the MRBA, this year the festival will host 18 bands, many of which will be new.
Something else new this year will be the funding of a scholarship for young people to get into bluegrass music. The funds include $400 for youth to learn how to play the music, go to festivals and generally get started in bluegrass. The organization started the pilot program last year and enjoyed it so much that it was made official for 2026. Because of this, they will have raffles during the festival to raise money for the scholarship. Youth must be members of the MRBA to apply, and they must be 18 years old and under.
The Jolly Family, one of the bands that will be performing on April 18 at the Neely Center, in Victor. Photo courtesy Mike Conroy.
For Conroy and other MRBA members, bluegrass is a heritage they are excited for youth to pick up. The MRBA has already been able to help several youth and saw a lot of interest from many more than it had slots available. Last year, it was only able to help five youth, but it is hoping to raise enough to be able to raise that number.
Speaking of the festival, Conroy said there will be food, music and fun. The food will all be homemade and include chili, cornbread, vegetable soup and desserts. As for the music, this may be one of their biggest festivals yet.
A fan favorite headliner, Johnny Campbell Band, will be returning all the way from Nashville, Tennessee. While the band is on tour, it will “Stop and play for free for us. You can’t beat that,” said Conroy. In fact, all the bands play for free. “This is such a special event because people come from all over to play.”
The first two bands are family bands from the Bitterroot. The Dobbins and the Hilbert families will start the festival off at 11. a.m. According to Conroy, they have never played in the Victor festival before.
Conroy also wanted to highlight Pinegrass, a group from Missoula. They will be playing at 1:30 p.m. Conroy added that they have been together for over 20 years. “Can you imagine that?”
Other bands attending include Mountain Springs, from Rigby, Idaho and Bensons Landing String Band, from Belgrade. Conroy spoke about Blue Point, from Missoula, and added that this last one played at the Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival last year. Hardtimes is an unrelated event, but a few bands end up playing in both.
The festival will take place at the Neely Center again, located at 150 A Street, Victor. Music starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 8 p.m. Non-member admission is $10. Members pay $5 and children under 12 enter free. More information is available at (406) 821-3777, the organization website: mtbluegrass.com and the MRBA Facebook.
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