The 9th Annual White Oak Mountain Bluegrass Festival presents their annual Kick Off Party and Band Contest, Friday, July 17, 2009, from 6 pm – 9 pm just behind the Hardee’s Keith Street in Cleveland.

Tri-State Exhibition Center, Hardee’s, US101, and the White Oak Mountain Bluegrass Festival will host a kick-off party and band contest to choose a band to be added to the Saturday line-up of the Festival. This event will be held in the Tractor Supply Company shopping center parking lot just behind Hardee's at 2780 Keith Street in Cleveland, Tenn. (If bad weather occurs, the party and contest will be held at the Tri-State Exhibition Center, which is the Festival site and is located ½ mile West of I-75 at exit 20 in Cleveland.)

Each band wishing to enter the contest should come to the site of the event, just behind Hardee’s at 2780 Keith Street in Cleveland, at 5:00pm on Friday, July 17. An entry fee of $20 per group (cash or a check payable to Tri-State Exhibition Center) will be required to participate. Bands will be accepted as space and time allows. First come, first served. All participants will be expected to be onsite and ready to perform no later than 5:30 pm on Friday, July 17, 2009. In addition to the winning band getting the opportunity to kick off the Festival on Saturday, the top three bands in the competition will receive the following; 1st place $500.00, 2nd place $250.00, 3rd place $100.00.

1. A band must have at least three members, but no more than six, all playing instruments, and at least two of them also singers. No one can play or sing in more than one band.
2. No electrical instruments (except electric bass), and no drums.
3. All bands will be expected to use the festival's sound system. Up to six vocal mics and six instrument mics will be provided.
4. The style of performance should be bluegrass (including gospel). Each band should perform two songs in the preliminary round, one vocal and one instrumental, or two vocal. Performances should include some harmony-singing (at least two-part). No tune or song may be played more than once during performances by a particular band.
5. Each band will be allowed 20 minutes total for set-up, performance, and tear-down. A band will be penalized for going over the time-limit. Each band is expected to keep up with their time.
6. Judges may confer in their decision-making to ensure fairness and consistency. All decisions of the judges will be final.
7. From the first round of performances, three bands will be chosen for a final round to pick the winner to perform the next day at the Festival. Each of the three bands chosen for the final round should again perform two songs and none of the three bands shall repeat any song it played in the preliminary round of the competition, so that any band making the final round of competition will end up playing four different songs total (two in each round). All bands must be available to perform at the 8th Annual White Oak Mountain Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, July 19, 2008.
8. Judging will be based on the following categories and percentages:

Vocal ability/fluidity 20, Instrumental ability/fluidity 20, Timing/Tuning 20, Originality/Arrangement/Difficulty of material 20, Appearance/Stage Presence/Fluidity 20.
Total possible points = 100.