SPANISH FORT, Ala. — For fans who take their music live off the fingers of the best talent on the coast, the annual Blakeley Bluegrass Festival set for Saturday, Oct. 4, is the spot to relax.

There at Washington Square, the heart of the 1813 ghost town of Blakeley in Blakeley State Park, the best and the most popular pickers, fiddlers and strummers put on a show that begins at 10 a.m. and runs continuously until about dusk.

Visitors have been enjoying this outdoor festival on the first Saturday of October for more than 20 years.

Bands performing this year are Delta Reign appearing for the first time at Blakeley; Lock, Stock & Barrel, back by request; Alabama Gentlemen, a north Mobile County band which won the Blakeley competition two years ago; and Kracker Dan, a nine-piece area band that plays authentic Civil War minstrel music along with bluegrass and is also appearing for the first time at Blakeley Park.

Appearing again this year on the Blakeley Bluegrass stage is renowned Fairhope artist Tom Morley, who is at home in jeans playing fiddle with a Blakeley bluegrass band or in formal dress performing classical music with a symphony orchestra.

Gates to Blakeley Park open at 9 a.m. to allow fans to pick their favorite spots under the oak trees for their folding chairs. Folding canopies are allowed if located so as not to block the view of other visitors, but most fans enjoy the green canopy of the trees.

Hamburgers grilled and sold by Blakeley Park staff are served with chips and soft drinks at modest prices, or visitors may bring their own picnic lunches to spread on wooden tables circled around the stage.

Children enjoy playing in the nearby woods, walking to the Tensaw River waterfront along the 1,000-foot boardwalk, or dancing to the spirited music.

Pets are welcome on leash. Portable radios and television sets are also allowed with earphones.

For the bluegrass lovers who want to pull off their shoes and stay longer, Blakeley Park offers a modern campground with spacious campsites fully equipped with all utilities and also a more primitive campground with tent and pop-up sites.

Early bird bluegrass fans from out of the area have already reserved sites for the 2009 festival.

“There is some phenomenal talent along the Gulf Coast for this popular, family friendly form of entertainment and Blakeley Park is proud of its efforts through the years to preserve this unique American music,” said Jo Ann Flirt, park director.

Bluegrass tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 6-12, and free to children under 6.

Tickets may be purchased in advance using credit cards by calling (251) 626-5581, or bought at the gate on the day of the festival.

Parking is free as is the shuttle from the parking lot to the spectator area. All proceeds go toward the operation of Blakeley Park.

Historic Blakeley State Park is a 2,000-acre park encompassing the site of a ghost 1800s riverfront town which was the first county seat of Baldwin County, an Apalachee Indian settlement village and an historic Civil War battlefield on which Confederate and Union soldiers fought an all-forces battle that was the last of the Civil War.

Blakeley Park is located on Ala Highway 225, about 15 miles south of I-65, and about 4.5 miles north of the intersection of 225 and U.S. 31 at Spanish Fort.

For more general information, call (251) 626-0798, e-mail blakeleypark@aol.com or go to www.blakeleypark.com.