For more than a decade, Norm Verros has traveled from his hometown of Pella, Iowa, to Jefferson City to listen and share in the sounds of bluegrass music.
He's a regular at the annual convention hosted by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA). This year's event, held at the Capitol Plaza Hotel on Friday and Saturday, was its 42nd annual music awards and 33rd SPBGMA Mid-West Convention.
As a guitar and mandolin player, Verros said he comes back every year for the jamming, or picking. He and other players, some familiar and some new to him, come together to play their beloved music genre.
Verros said he loves traditional bluegrass because of its high, simple harmonies - something not found in contemporary styles.
"It's just fun to get with a group of people and play good, traditional bluegrass," he said.
These musical opportunities have decreased for Verros, he said, as the amount of bluegrass festivals are declining.
"There are a number of bluegrass festivals that I used to go to 10-15 years ago that are no longer held," Verros said. "They've just gone by the wayside."
Doren Keeler, of Marshfield, said he became interested in bluegrass when his son-in-law started playing the music. Young people, he said, are exposed to all types of music with the accessibility of the Internet.
"With technology, young people have so many genres of music to choose from out there," Keeler said. "If they do run across bluegrass and love it, stick with it."
Regina O'Shea, of Lawrence, Kansas, picked up the banjo seven years ago and attends the convention every other year.
Like Verros, O'Shea said she comes for the camaraderie. Each year, she learns new musical techniques, including phrases of music - a sequence of notes interchanged in songs.
Her daughter played the violin, and O'Shea desired to play an instrument as well. At the time, O'Shea said she didn't know anything about bluegrass and listened to funk, soul and rock "n roll. Approached about purchasing a banjo, O'Shea agreed and pursued its unique sound.
Naturally, she came to enjoy bluegrass.
"It's accessible to common people," O'Shea said. "Anybody can do it. It takes time, but it's a lot more accessible than the classical music or the other genres like rock or blues. People don't have conventions like this for the other genres. ... It's more accessible to people."
Related: