by George S. Lilly

            On Main Street in downtown Glenville, the bluegrass program’s Pioneer Stage hosts an open-mic night every Friday. At the open-mic, performers are allowed up to 20 minutes per set to showcase whatever talent they wish. Many open-stage events at other venues restrict the performance to music, poetry, or other specific genres However, the Pioneer Stage has no restrictions on the type of talent being performed. Dr. Megan Darby, the head of the bluegrass department, likes to keep the Pioneer Stage a family-friendly place for people of all ages so that everybody can have that in common and can feel included in the atmosphere. As such, the only restriction on the content is that it’s family friendly. The weekly event has many regulars, which also provides a social, familiar, and friendly atmosphere to those attending

The Pioneer Stage open-mic enjoys a wide variety of performers. Pioneer Stage employee and open-mic regular Nick Blake says he enjoys the open mic because “it’s a diverse set of music that’s not your normal bluegrass that you would generally hear down here”. Acts showcased have included bagpipes, bluegrass, old-time, rap, classical music played on electric guitar, and more. In fact, acts that aren’t even music have performed as well. They’ve had poets, dancers, and even a person that used it as an opportunity to preach the Gospel.

Some nights, the stage will begin the evening with an hour-long set by an invited musical group to kick-start the night. On these nights, there can be a cover charge, but is free on all other occasions. The event happens every Friday night at the Pioneer stage on East Main Street. It runs from 7-10 p.m. Anyone wishing to perform can arrive sign up at the door for a set of up to 20 minutes, but they can do less should they choose to do so. After everyone has performed, anyone who wants to go again can do more.