BBR and Sisters Folk Festival host bluegrass band

Launching a new partnership, Black Butte Ranch and the Sisters Folk Festival are hosting the bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters in a concert at the Ranch on Friday, July 17.

"This is the inaugural concert in the Live at the Ranch concert series," said BBR marketing director Katie Williams. She said the Ranch hopes to book other concerts later in the summer and early fall.

"We were very interested in expanding our role with the Sisters Folk Festival, and with the community of Sisters," Williams said.

Folk festival executive director Brad Tisdel said, "The way we're working with Black Butte Ranch and vice-versa is a new development for us and very exciting. And the venue couldn't get any prettier."

That venue is the grassy area adjacent to Phalarope Lake, with the lake and the Three Sisters in the background.

Patrons are invited to bring a blanket and sand chair to Black Butte Ranch on Friday, July 17 at 6 p.m.

The concert is a benefit for the Sisters Folk Festival's Americana Project. There is a suggested donation of $5 per person.

The Infamous Stringdusters are known for their creative blend of acoustic, bluegrass and fusion styles of music. The Nashville, Tennessee-based band has won numerous awards as one of the hottest up-and-coming bluegrass groups in the nation. They blend bluegrass with folk, blues and jazz for a traditional yet highly contemporary take on acoustic American music.

"They're a band we've been interested in booking for a long time," Tisdel said. "They're all fantastic pickers and they're exciting and upbeat and they're young."

Tisdel said the show will be fun for the whole family.

The concert starts at 6 p.m., when students from the Americana Project will perform a short set of original music before the main act, with The Infamous Stringdusters taking the stage at 6:30 p.m.

Patrons may bring a picnic or sample the Ranch-style ribs and chicken available on site.

For more information, visit http://www.thestringdusters.com.