Families and music lovers alike flocked to the annual Bluegrass and Anthracite Heritage Festival at Mauch Chunk Lake on Saturday for a day of kid-friendly hay rides, food vendors and a modern take on old-fashioned mountain music.

According to event co-organizer and talent coordinator Patrick McGeehan, the music festival started out 10 years ago as a dream of the lake’s 30-year maintenance supervisor Rick Johnson.Johnson died of cancer four years ago. The day has continued as a tribute to his dedication.“He spearheaded it and always wanted to do this. We keep it going to honor him,” McGeehan said.Along with the area bands the park arranged hay rides and pumpkin paintingFolk performer and instructor Dave Matsinko who demonstrated various bluegrass style instruments for children and gave brief lessons to the interested kids.“It’s fun talking about old-time tradition musical with all ages the little guys to the adults,” said Matsinko.The instructor had a mandolin, guitar, banjo, gourd banjo and mountain dulcimer on hand to incite the young crowd.Four-year-old Carter Reis of Jim Thorpe leaned in close while Matsinko strummed a mandolin before being allowed to pluck a cord himself.“We come every year,” said grandmother Donna O’Donnell.“He’s really interested in the guitars and banjos. I’m sure he’d love to get up on stage with them if he could,” she said with a laugh.The banjo and guitar player for Coal County Express said he now works with Dave Horvath who works to organize the food and craft vendors for the day.Horvath’s wife Allison handled the collection of the $5 cover charge and said the crowd has remained steady over the years.Starting at 11 a.m., six bands took the cornstalk and twinkle light decorated stage beginning with Boulevard Express, Scott Eager and Hight Lonesome Sound, Coal County Express, Serene Green and Boiled Owls who all played two sets in the afternoon while local favorite Free Range Folk rounded out the evening with a long closing set.“I’m trying to stay local with the entertainment. It keeps local people involved,” said McGeehan.McGeehan said he added some new talent to the lineup for this year’s festival.“Boulevard Express is here for their first year,” he said. “I wanted to mix it up.”According to McGeehan bluegrass has evolved from old-time music to mountain music to what it is today. Typically a bluegrass song is comprised of guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle with upright bass.“Usually there aren’t any drums,” he said.His own band, Coal County Express, is McGeehan on banjo and guitar, Dave Lucas on guitar and dobro, and Jillian Lucas on the upright bass with harmonic vocals all three members.“We do a lot of harmony, it really added a fullness. A lot of what we do is modern songs in the style of bluegrass,” he said.Josh Finsel of Free Range Folk said his band has played the festival for three years and has a different kind of sound.“We do heavy metal grass,” he said with a laugh.“It’s nice to be local and camp out. We get to play music all night and sleep all day tomorrow,” he said.Free Range Folk closed the show with two foot-stomping tunes, “Sharpe Mountain Shake Down” and “Waiting Room,” from its new album.“We’ll come back as long as we’re all here,” he said of the festival.When asked, spectators say it’s the relaxed feel and community vibe that keeps them coming to the show year after year.“It’s fun meeting up with old and new friends. I wasn’t a bluegrass fan but by being here and seeing it live and the people really enjoying it, it’s pretty fantasist,” said Chantelle Gendron, who has attended the festival for two years.“I’m so grateful Mauch Chunk Lake and Carbon County come together to do something like this,” she said.Paul Kramer agreed, “Mauch Chunk Lake is like a big backyard party,” he said.Kramer visited the vendors row and said he enjoyed the pulled pork BBQ for his afternoon snack.“They really did a great job,” said Kramer.“It’s a great day out and it’s only $5 to get in. It helps fill up the campsite during a time of year when it would be slow,” McGeehan said of the yearly festival.“It’s a positive thing for the area,”