The John Lanham Jam Day is set for Saturday at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, with organizer Randy Lanham saying this year’s gathering will return to its roots, focusing solely on an informal jam session rather than a full-scale festival.
The event will run from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the museum at 311 West 2nd Street. The free event invites all musicians to bring their acoustic instruments for an afternoon of open jamming — or for guests to simply listen and enjoy.
“We decided to bring it back to the way it started, a simple bluegrass jam with many different groups spread around and playing together,” Lanham said. “No stage, no sound system, no bands booked to play, no vendors, just a simple jam.”
Lanham said the event originally began at the museum before moving outdoors and growing into a larger festival.
“It started at the museum, so it’s going back to where it all kind of started as just a jam session,” Lanham said. “People could come, get together, play together, or just listen if they don’t want to play and kind of wander around.”
He said hosting the event at Yellow Creek Park was enjoyable, but it came with challenges, including weather and timing conflicts during a busy fall season.
“It did grow, but we were always worried about the weather,” Lanham said. “A lot of people would say, ‘Man, I would come, but I have this event going on.’ My granddad’s birthday is Nov. 14, so I thought I’d get close to his birthday and just simplify it and do a jam on a Saturday. I think it’ll be good.”
The event honors Lanham’s grandfather, the late John Lanham, a local musician known for his love of jamming and sharing music with others.
Lanham and his brother Barry organized previous editions of the event, including the 2023 Jam Day that drew national attention for an attempted world record. Daviess County may now be home to the largest bluegrass band ever assembled, thanks to more than 500 people who gathered at Yellow Creek Park to play and sing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” as part of John Lanham Jam Day.
While the event met all the official Guinness World Record requirements, Lanham said they chose not to complete the certification process due to the cost involved.
Participants also joined in a stirring a cappella version of “Amazing Grace.” The effort raised funds for three local shelters — My Sister’s Keeper, Crossroads, and St. Benedict’s Day Shelter for Women.
Lanham said the record attempt was exciting, but the heart of the event remains rooted in honoring his grandfather’s passion for bluegrass.
“This festival is in honor of my granddad John Lanham,” he said. “I grew up listening to him play. He taught me to play when I was 11 years old. The old-time, gospel, and bluegrass music — it’s always been a family thing, shared with the younger generation. He told me a thousand times to pass this music on, and I’m proud to keep carrying on his legacy.”
