PALMER RAPIDS – On the weekend, south of Latchford Bridge on Cedar Grove Road, the annual Palmer Rapids twin music festivals made the hills come alive. It was the 38th Annual Bluegrass and the 32nd Annual Country festivals. Headliners included Meghan Patrick, Larry Egan and the Bluegrass Mountaineers, Russell deCarle and Wayne Rostad. As well as a packed music schedule, running from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon, there were many other things to entertain visitors, including a beach area on the Madawaska River. The patchy rain did not dampen the fun. Set in gentle hills, on the banks of the Madawaska River, several RV encampments sit around the two music stages, which were about 200 metres apart. Families and friends from all over the province return each year to the festivals. That includes the clean up crew of Miranda and Sarah Wodzak and Rick Hartwig. The Wodzaks have been volunteering at the festivals since 1994, Hartwig joined in just 15 years ago. They are up at 4 a.m. to clean up the stage areas. Their work continues through the day emptying the garbage containers around the campground. To read the full story, pick up a copy of the August 1 paper.