Hundreds came to play at 12th annual Bluegrass at Sedalia in Bedford County

BIG ISLAND — Ninety-degree temperatures, overcast skies and a strong summer shower couldn’t keep bluegrass fans away from the last day of Bluegrass at Sedalia, a music festival celebrating its 12th year.

Hundreds mulled about at Bedford County’s Sedalia Center, chatting, picking up concessions and, of course, taking in traditional and modern bluegrass tunes.

Check out scenes from Bluegrass at Sedalia

Complete with mandolins, banjos, slide guitars, fiddles and stand-up basses, 10 Virginia bands serenaded attendees with a mix of gospel music, classic ballads, instrumentals and original music over 12½ hours Saturday.

Nineteen-year-old Jason Tomlin, lead singer and bassist for the Amherst-based Deer Creek Boys said he’s been playing the Bluegrass at Sedalia festival for as long as he can remember.

He said his favorite aspect of the festival is reconnecting with friends.

“You can always count on knowing somebody you see at a bluegrass festival,” he said.

The Deer Creek Boys, in their first 40-minute set Saturday, played traditional hits like “Rocky Top,” some instrumental tunes and some of their own original work, including a tearjerker called “Keep my Faith.”

“We’re real proud of that one,” said Tomlin, in his 10th year with his group. But he said the band prefers songs their audience already knows.

“We love doing original stuff, to get it out there,” he said, “but you just can’t beat that traditional stuff.”

An afternoon shower caused a hiccup in the day’s plans, forcing technicians to shut off power and attendees to gather under the center’s outside shelter. It lengthened the intermission between the Deer Creek Boys and their successors, Ted Jones and the Tarheel Boys,

But the storm passed after several minutes, and things progressed smoothly.

Despite the mixture of style between groups, some songs received multiple performances.

“I think I’ve heard ‘Rocky Top’ one too many times today,” joked Rex Jarvis, 43, of Amherst.

“I don’t get enough of (bluegrass),” he said, adding that he, too, prefers traditional songs.

“With bluegrass, the older the better,” he said.

In three days, fans were treated to 14 different bands and more than 19 hours of music.

Dobie Toms, 45, of Bedford County, played with two groups at the festival (Faith Ridge and Hard Drivin’ Grass), but said he enjoys the ability to talk about his faith, and almost anything else, with people who share his passion for music.

“The best thing about it is people coming together and talking to each other,” he said.

Toms said the music is what brings people, so he already has something in common with them. From there he said, sometimes he shares the gospel, sometimes he prays with people, sometimes he just chats.

“It’s easy to talk to people about anything you want to talk to them about,” he said.

“People who come to these (festivals) are from all over the country, and the main thing is they all like this music.”