Mitch and Cindy’s Bluegrass Festival is focusing on reunions this weekend.

While there are sure to be some families at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds this weekend, the reunions Mitch Meadors and Cindy Matheson are focused on are the musical kind.

“It’s a bluegrass family reunion, bands that don’t perform together anymore and have gotten back together now,” Matheson said. “That’s not our complete lineup, but that was something that we wanted to highlight and make it special.

“There’s some bands that people haven’t seen for many years, but they used to follow them all the time. We called up those bands and asked them if they’d be willing to reunite (for the festival). We’ve got several on the schedule that are reunion style bands, even our headliner that is on Saturday, the Lonesome River Band. They’ll be doing the regular show with their band as it is today, but then they’re bringing in past members to do a reunion-style show for the finale on Saturday night.”

Other reunion bands performing this weekend include Caney Creek, NorthWest Territory, Vertical Limit, South 79, Beyond Calvary, Family Pride and Sons of Tradition.

Meadors and Matheson grew up playing in bluegrass family bands and have known musicians from some of the participating groups for decades. And one of the reunions is Matheson’s family’s band, Family Pride.

“We stopped playing during COVID, because my parents were getting older anyway, and it was just too hard to schedule a lot of shows not knowing what their health was going to be,” she said. “We kind of retired in 2020 after playing together for about 40 years. But they’re still doing great. My dad plays music every single day, and he’s 87 years old.”

Family connections didn’t always make it easier.

One of the most difficult reunions to make happen was Vertical Limit, which features Meadors’ brother.

“Their lives have gotten so busy and they’ve moved in different directions, especially his brother,” Matheson said. “He was like, “No, I don’t think I want to play,’ and we were like, ‘You have to come in and play it,’ so he finally agreed. We put the peer pressure on him.”

Another reunion Matheson is excited about is Northwest Territory, which still performs but is reassembling its lineup from about 10 years ago.

“They’re getting back together because we’re real good friends with all of them, and we thought this would be the perfect place,” Matheson said. “The one girl, Darla Evans, she’s the lead singer, and she has the voice of an angel, but she has had issues with her hearing and was struggling to be able to sing. She had almost quit singing for several years, but it seems that now she’s able to do it again, which we’re so thankful and grateful for, and we can’t wait to have her, because everyone loves her. And she’s a local. She’s from Niles originally, and her mom was a beautiful singer and wrote songs, and the whole family is just real, real talented.”

This is the sixth edition of the festival, and past attendees will notice a few changes.

Chosen Vessel, which has performed at the Sunday morning worship service in the past, will be back, but there also will be a bluegrass gospel band playing.

Also planned from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday is a Jeep Jam that will include a vehicle parade.

The bluegrass festival ends at 4 p.m. Sunday, but the gates will reopen at 5 p.m., for a concert featuring classic rock cover band Speed Limit. In keeping with the “reunion” theme of the weekend, the Sunday evening concert also will include Blackbirds, a reunion of the first band of Speed Limit’s Mitchel Meadors-Matheson.

The opening ceremony on Saturday will include an interview with Jeff Littell.

“He’s a World War II veteran, but he’s also a bluegrass player,” Matheson said. “He still plays music and is a luthier, so he would build instruments and fix instruments in our community for all these years, and all of us bluegrass people just worship him. He’s going to come in and do a Q&A before the shows start, and I’m really excited about that. We donate a portion of our proceeds to the DAV, so disabled veterans and veterans of any kind, that’s just really near and dear to our heart.”

If you go …

WHAT: Mitch and Cindy’s Bluegrass Festival

WHEN: Friday, Saturday and Sunday

WHERE: Trumbull County Fairgrounds, 899 Everett Hull Road, Bazetta, Friday, Saturday and Sunday,

HOW MUCH: Admission is $30 on Friday and $35 on Saturday or $65 for a weekend pass and $10 after 5 p.m. Sunday with free admission for weekend pass holders and children ages 17 and younger. For tickets or more information, go to mitchandcindysbluegrass.com.

The schedule

Friday

• 1 and 6 p.m. — Family Pride/Sons of Tradition

• 2 and 7 p.m. — Vertical Limit

• 3 p.m. — Beyond Calvary

• 4 and 8 p.m. — Northwest Territory

• 5:30 p.m. — Crafts with Wendy

• 9 p.m. — Karaoke with Clay Hess Band

Saturday

• 10 a.m. — Workshops

• 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. — Crafts with Wendy

• 11:45 a.m. — Opening ceremony with Jeff Littell and Arlin Bradford

• Noon and 6 p.m. — South 79

• 1 and 7 p.m. — Coney Carver & Rainbow Valley Boys

• 2 and 9 p.m. — Larry Efaw & Bluegrass Mountaineers

• 3 p.m. — Clay Hess Band

• 4 and 8 p.m. — Lonesome River Band

• 7:45 p.m. — Raffle drawing

• 10 p.m. — LRB Reunion featuring Don Rigsby

Sunday

• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Vendor market (free admission)

• 10:30 a.m. — Chosen Vessel

• 11 a.m — Arlin Bradford

• 11:20 a.m. — Music and sermon by Pastor Mitch and Danny

• 11:15 a.m. — Crafts with Wendy

• 1 to 4 p.m. — Jeep Jam with parade

• 4 p.m. — Gate closes

• 5 p.m. — Gates reopen

• 6 p.m. — Jesse Matheson

• 6:45 p.m. — Blackbirds

• 7:45 and 9 p.m. — Speed Limit