The Eleventh Annual MelFest Bluegrass Festival at White Lake, N. C., scheduled for May 29 and 30, 2009, has  been cancelled.

This action has been taken by Country Fun Land, Inc., the promoters of MelFest due to legal action which has been taken against it by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Raleigh, N. C.  The festival parking lot was enlarged by one acre to accommodate additional RV and vehicular parking, which had been frequently requested by MelFest fans over the years.  NCDENR assessed a civil penalty, alleging that this work was a violation of "environmental regulations". The N. C. Attorney General has recently threatened to issue an Injunction to prohibit parking cars in the parking area during the festival.  We have contested this action by filing a Petition for a Contested Hearing in the Office of Administrative Hearings in Raleigh, N. C. The case is scheduled for Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge sometime this Spring. We have concluded that, for the foregoing reasons, it will be impossible to conduct the caliber of festival that we have enjoyed for the past ten years. Therefore, the event has been cancelled. 

We are deeply grateful to all of the bands, pickers, and fans who have supported MelFest and bluegrass music at White Lake for the past ten years. 

Country Fun Land, Inc.

The cancellation of Melfest

MelFest Bluegrass Festival Obituary