Vernon McIntyre’s APPALACHIAN GRASS

FOTMC is home base for Vernon McIntyre's Appalachian Grass, a hard-driving bluegrass group with a long and colorful history.   Leader Vernon McIntyre began his professional career as a banjo picker in the early 1960’s.  Having played both banjo and guitar on the Grand Ole Opry Stage and with all of the seminal bluegrass artists, Vernon met his future wife, Kitty, in the early 1980s.  Kitty had played in the school orchestra through out high school and was completely unaware of the non-classical world of bluegrass music.  When her brother, Andy, introduced her to the bluegrass sound via Vernon McIntyre ’s Appalachian Grass, she fell in love with both the music and the leader of the band, Vernon.  Robert Campbell started banjo lessons at age 15 at the Cincinnati Famous Old Time Music with Vernon as his teacher.  Emily Baehr, mandolinist, trained as an opera singer prior to her developing interest in folk and bluegrass music.  Tammy Powers played electric bass and was a fiddle student of Kitty’s at Famous Old Time Music Cinci prior to being recruited as an upright bass player with Appalachian Grass.

    
Upcoming Concerts: 

March 6  Bluegrass in the Cornfields Indoor Concert    featuring:  Vernon McIntyre's APPALACHIAN GRASS, Lonesome Meadow, Lillie Mae & the Dixie Gospelaires, and My Favorite Bluegrass Band. 

For more information, click here.

RETAIL STORE

The retail portion of the Famous Old Time Music enterprise provides new, used, and vintage stringed instruments plus all the strings, accessories, and books required by the acoustic musician.  You’ll also find CDs, videos, and music related clothing and gifts. 

While the store specialty is in the acoustic line, there is a small but interesting selection of beginner electric instruments and accessories.

Lessons, Repair and Restoration service, and Appraisals are also available at Famous Old Time Music.  Lessons are taught by experienced professional musicians.  Repair service covers the gamut from helping you change strings to completely re-working an instrument.  Vernon had one fiddle that came to him in pieces in a cake box.  He painstakingly reassembled the pieces into a very playable instrument with a truly amazing sound!  In today’s financial climate, quality instruments can be more sound investments than the stock market.  You can protect your investment with an insurance appraisal.

Famous Old Time - Wapak maintains regular hours for your shopping convenience:

Tuesday through Friday  11am til 7pm
Saturday  10am til 4pm

At Famous Old Time-Cinci, shopping is by appointment only.  Call 513-607-1874 or to email, click here.

LIVE MUSIC EVENTS

Vernon’s lifelong dream of owning his own concert hall/festival venue was finally realized in 2001 when he and Kitty purchased the old United Local school building just east of Wapakoneta, OH.  With indoor seating available for 500 people, Famous Old Time-Wapak now hosts numerous musical events: Bluegrass in the Cornfields Indoor Concerts, Wednesday bluegrass jam sessions-Wapak, Friday acoustic music jam sessions - Wapak, Appalachian Opry,  Dulcimer jam sessions, Dulcimer and Autoharp Discovery classes.  With over 8 acres of flat parking, the site is perfect for festivals. Look for the 2nd "Dulcimers in the Cornfield" indoor festival and Vernon’s annual Bluegrass Festival in the Cornfields. 
 

SUMMARY CALENDAR

For a summary list of all the events Vernon, Kitty and APPALACHIAN GRASS are involved in playing, click here.  If you just want to know about events taking place at Famous Old Time Music-Wapak, click here.

VERNON and LARRY'S RADIO SHOW - WRPO 93.5AM

Vernon and his co-host Larry Roose host a hour of bluegrass, old country, and novelty songs every Saturday from 10 am til 11 on WRPO in Russells Point, OH.  Since it is a little, tiny station and the signal only covers about a 10 mile radius, we have been posting recordings of the shows on the web site for your listening pleasure.  For more details, click here.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Vernon has a lifelong dedication to collecting musical instruments, antiques, and all types of unique oddities.  When he purchased the Wapakoneta building, he finally had a place to display his collections and realized that he had virtually created a museum dedicated to bluegrass and acoustic music.  Stop by and browse through his ‘museum’ in it’s current informal style.  Click here for details and pictures of some favorites.

The Strolling through the Bluegrass program was designed to compliment the museum and to promote interest in acoustic music among school children.  The program provides an opportunity to see, hear, and actually try-out various instruments.  Famous Old Time-Wapak and the Strolling through the Bluegrass program has been the destination of several school field trips.  Vernon and Kitty have also taken this program on the road to various schools and libraries.  Kids of all ages enjoy the program. 

BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL IN THE CORNFIELDS

The annual Festival in the Cornfields will take place in July of 2010.  Initially dedicated to the memory of the 9/11 victims, a portion of the proceeds are donated each year to help support one of the local fire departments.   Entertainment at the 2010 Festival includes a bean soup/pot luck dinner, lots of bluegrass stage shows, the Strolling through the Bluegrass program, a banjo seminar, a dulcimer workshop, daily black powder demonstration, good food, free camping, and LOTS of jamming.

RECORDINGS & GIFTS

We feature a wide selection of bluegrass recordings featuring our home band, Vernon McInytre's APPALACHIAN GRASS; tee-shirts having fun with bluegrass music; and some unique and affordable gifts for the music enthusiast.  To check the latest products at the store, click here.