GREENEVILLE, TN – The streets of downtown historic Greeneville will be alive with music when the Greene County Partnership’s 14th Annual Iris Festival takes center stage from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 18.
The singing stage will feature performances of bluegrass, country, southern gospel, gospel, contemporary and Broadway show tunes, while the dancing stage will provide a variety of dance styles, including clogging and line dancing, both days of the festival.
In conjunction with the festival, Asbury United Methodist Church will be providing a contemporary service at 10:47 a.m. in the parking lot behind the church near the basketball courts. The service is open to the public and, in the event of rain, will be held in the church fellowship hall. Asbury will also be hosting a prayer booth Saturday and Sunday during the festival hours at the gazebo on the corner of Summer and College streets.
Located in the parking lot of the Partnership, the singing stage will showcase the following performers: Saturday: 10 a.m., Lonesome Pine, bluegrass, sponsored by DTR Tennessee; 10:45 a.m., Lost Mountain String Band, bluegrass, sponsored by the Greeneville Astros; 1 p.m., The Fugitives, country, sponsored by McInturff, Milligan & Brooks Insurance; 2:15 p.m., The Foundations, gospel, sponsored by GreenBank; 3:30 p.m., Magestic Heights Quartet, southern gospel, sponsored by Consumer Credit Union; Sunday: noon, Strong Ties, contemporary, sponsored by BB&T; 1:15 p.m., Lost Mountain String Band, bluegrass, sponsored by Embarq Retail; 2:30 p.m., The Foundations, gospel, sponsored by Embarq Retail; and 3:45 p.m., The Singsations, Broadway show tunes, sponsored by East Tennessee Realty Services.
At the opposite end of the festival area on College Street, the dance stage, sponsored by Embarq, will play host to all kinds of high-stepping cloggers and line dancers, as well as other dance groups.
Saturday’s dance schedule is as follows: 10 a.m., In Cahoots; 10:45 a.m., R&L Dance Stable; 11:30 a.m., Dandylines; 12:15 p.m. Trailblazer Cloggers, 1 p.m., Dancers Unlimited; 1:45 p.m., Rose Center dancers; 2:30 p.m. Stoney Creek Cloggers; 3:15 p.m., Circle R Dancers; 4 p.m., Dominion Church.
Sunday’s performances include Dancers Unlimited, 12:15 p.m.; Rose Center Dancers, 12:45 p.m.; Scottish Highland Dancers, 1:30 p.m.; Stoney Creek Cloggers, 2:15 p.m.; Trailblazer Cloggers, 3 p.m.; and Circle R. Dancers, 3:45 p.m.
Major sponsors of this year’s festival are Funville, The Greeneville Sun, News Channel 11, Takoma Regional Hospital, Wal-Mart Super Center and WGRV/WIKQ/WSMG.
For more information on the festival, contact the Partnership at 638-4111.