As we did last year, we will be publishing the full schedule for IBMA’s World Of Bluegrass and Fan Fest in a searchable, printable format here on The Bluegrass Blog. This will allow attendees to pre-plan both their daytime and after-hours schedule, a big help during such a busy, and event-rich week of activities.

If you or your organization will be hosting events during the Business Conference, Trade Show or Fan Fest portions of the week (9/25-10/1), please be sure to send us the details as soon as possible.

The complete schedule will be available within the next two weeks, and we will highlight some tidbits here and there as we become aware of them. Here are a couple of note:

3 Fox Drive has been tapped to kickoff the Awards Show at The Grand Ole Opry House on September 28. As always (at least since 2001), the show begins with a rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, and 3 Fox Drive is sure to do a bang up job with that.

Chris Thile will showcase on Tuesday (9/26) in support of his (by then) new Sugar Hill release, How To Grow A Woman From The Ground. He will perform material from the CD with the same band as he used on the recording on the main showcase stage at 10:05 p.m., followed by a similar performance on the Roots & Branches stage at midnight.

That midnight show will also include The Infamous Stringdusters, and spontaneous jamming would seem to be a foregone conclusion.

UPDATE 4:30 p.m.: Thanks to Dan and Nancy at IBMA, who corrected my faulty memory about the Awards Show opening. In 2001, Sonny Osborne opened the show with a solo banjo rendition of America The Beautiful, and last year (2005) the Isaacs opened with the National Anthem.

Dan Hays also shared this tidbit about this year’s awards show:

We are planning a patriotic tribute this year involving Rhonda Vincent and the US Navy Band Country Current Bluegrass Unit.