Bluegrass on the Snake was started by Teresa and Monty Mortensen in 2024. The couple play in a Bluegrass band called Mountain Strings, along with Jack Poulson, Tom Middleton, and Gerry Grinder.
The Mortensens got the idea to start a bluegrass festival for the Southeast Idaho area after traveling to other festivals for over 10 years.
“We kept saying we wanted to do a festival, and we thought we have time now, so we just jumped in!” Teresa said. “So it’s just something that we’ve talked about doing for 10 years and we just decided now is the time. And it’s going well.”
They did a free one-day festival the first year to test the waters, and it grew to be a three-day event the following year due to the great turnout and public reception.
Teresa said last year’s festival had a turnout of around 500 people, with some traveling from across the country to attend.
This year there will be nine acts: Mountain Strings, Dusty Mill Band, Dry Buck, Release the Squirrels, Well Beaten Path, Cold Creek, Montana Standard, Winterwood, and Jake Workman.
Jake Workman used to play guitar for Ricky Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder. In addition to performing, he will be offering a guitar workshop at the festival.
Tickets to the festival and workshop can be purchased at bluegrassonthesnake.org. The schedule and contact information are also available online. Gates will open on September 10 for campers. Performances will begin Friday, September 11 and go through the weekend. The festival will end Sunday September 13 with a raffle.
“Anybody coming up with campers can come in and get their places, get reserved, get set up and we’re going to have lots of jamming,” Teresa said. “There’s lots of room there for jamming. People like to do that at festivals and we’ll have food trucks there. We’ll have vendors there. So we should be able to keep everybody happy and occupied and fed.”
Teresa said festivals like Bluegrass on the Snake are important to keep the traditional spirit of the music alive.
“We’re working hard to preserve bluegrass music,” she said. “Having festivals is a great way to do that because it brings people in to listen and it keeps the bands going, and it draws everybody together.”
Teresa first started playing music as a child with her grandfather’s fiddle she found in the attic. She and her husband have been playing music with another group called the Idaho Old Time Fiddlers for about 40 years.
“It takes a lot of work to be able to play bluegrass,” Teresa said, “but when you get it figured out it’s fun to play and listen to. It’s upbeat, there’s gospel songs, and it’s easy to listen to.”
Mountain Strings has been a group for about three years, and their instruments include the fiddle, the guitar, the banjo, the mandolin, and the bass.
They’ve played at locations and events in Island Park, Blackfoot, American Falls, and in Utah in Deer Valley and Park City. They also play weddings and parties and they play covers as well as original songs. For more information about Mountain Strings, visit mountainstringsbluegrass.com.