Sequim Gazette Staff

The 10th annual Snowgrass Festival promises to be a toe-tapping good time.

Headlining the First Step Family Support Center benefit are Marilyn Kay & Company, Abby Mae and the Homeschool Boys, Crescent Blue and special guests The Finleys.

All proceeds go to the United Way agency, which served 4,939 people adults and children in 2009. First Step has provided support and education services to families in Clallam County since 1971.

Marilyn Kay & Co.

Described as an “energetic and exciting” band, Marilyn Kay & Company plays a mix of original compositions by lead vocalist Kay, traditional bluegrass and country classics.

The group played almost 70 shows last year, including Snowgrass, the Grays Harbor Bluegrass Festival, Clallam County Fair and Folklife.

Members of the band are Kay, Rochelle Munger, Cliff Simpson, Daniel “Jr.” Agne and Jerry Hegarty, who has more than 40 years of experience in live performances and studio sessions.

Abby Mae and the Homeschool Boys

Four local young adults comprise a band that consistently has packed several Port Angeles venues.

Abby Mae and the Homeschool Boys combines timeless traditions of “ol’ timey” music with Gaelic, blues and gospel. The group recently released its first album, “EP 1,” and is recording a second.

Abby Mae Latson, David Rivers, Joey Gish and Hayden Pomeroy all got their musical start in Port Angeles and continue to share their talents with the community. They are described as “silly, sultry, spiritual and heartbreaking.”

Crescent Blue

Formed in 2007, Crescent Blue got its start after Mary Meyer and Barney Munger met Ken Lambert at a Relay for Life cancer benefit. The three got together to see if their many years of performing bluegrass separately could be combined into something more.

Dave Lenahan joined in 2009 and the group has performed at its first venue, Cafe Paix, every five  or six weeks since. The band plays a range of music about life, love and the pursuit of happiness.

The Finleys

Special guests to Snowgrass, The Finleys are Forks residents Ed and Jerry Finley, who have been making music together since 1957.

Jerry Finley, originally from Buffalo, Mo., grew up in a musical family and started playing with a Harmony guitar. Her husband, Ed Finley, was born in Waynesville, Mo., and discovered his musical talent while serving in the military in Japan.

The couple spent many years touring Washington churches in a pickup truck, singing and playing gospel music.

Tickets

The Snowgrass Festival will begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Port Angeles High School Auditorium, 304 E. Park Ave., Port Angeles. Tickets are $10 for advance purchase, $12 at the door, $7 for seniors and free for youths 10 years old and younger. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at Pacific Mist Books in Sequim; and at First Step Family Support Center, KONP, Strait Music, Odyssey Books, Port Book and News, and Necessities & Temptations in Port Angeles.