Bluegrass Heritage Foundation founder, Alan Tompkins, left, can often be found playing the upright bass with the band Hillbilly Fever, or playing banjo with Bobby Giles and the Texas Gales.
Bluegrass music returns to Olde City Park this month for a beloved Wylie tradition — Bluegrass on Ballard. The annual music and arts festival will take over historic downtown Wylie on Saturday, May 31.
This year’s event promises fun for the whole family, with the unmistakable sounds of bluegrass, a classic car show, arts and crafts vendors, fair food, and children’s activities.
What began in 1978 as Wideawake Wylie’s July Jubilee—a weeklong event with everything from speed boat races to square dancing—gradually evolved. Over time, it was shortened to three days and rebranded as Jumping Jubilee Days in the 1980s. Memorable highlights included quirky competitions like the 1998 Toilet Race, where local businesses raced wheeled toilets down Ballard Avenue.
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