Court Square Stage, Saturday

The Graves Family from Lebanon, Missouri plays a rare style of Ozark folk music that was played back in the 1800s and early 1900s. Ballads and fiddle tunes are played with an aggressive energetic beat.

Don Graves plays the dulcimer, also known to us as the "Indian Walking Cane." This instrument was possibly introduced to Missouri when their great-grandfather John Mohee, returned from the Civil War with the measurements to make one carved on a stick. It is played with a hardwood stick and turkey quill, zither-style.

Don is accompanied by his sister Daisy Dame on guitar. The two, along with a sister, Vivian Owens, played throughout the country with their father, long-time festival favorite Bill Graves, for over 50 years, until his death in 2001. They play the dulcimer the same way as handed down from generation to generation in their family.