The Blue Ridge HarvestFest scheduled for Oct. 7-9 in LaFayette has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales.

Officials said, "The event was to be a benefit for hurricane relief, but a benefit that does not generate any proceeds for the intended cause doesn't benefit anyone."

All HarvestFest ticket holders who purchased tickets with a credit card, whether through harvestfest.com or via phone, will be refunded the cost of the tickets automatically and will see the credit on their next statement, it was stated.

There is no action necessary to receive this credit. Ticket holders who purchased with a check or money order will also be refunded and will be contacted by High Sierra Music in a timely manner. Ticket holders who purchased through ticket outlets should return tickets directly to the outlet, officials said.

Festival official Margaret Pitcher said, "In our 15 years of presenting music festivals, High Sierra Music has
never cancelled an event and this was an extremely difficult decision for
us. It was our hope that HarvestFest could recover after being hurt by last
year's Hurricane Ivan. However lackluster ticket sales, exacerbated by the ripple effects of Hurricane Katrina in the region, left us with little choice but to cancel.

"We deeply regret the inconvenience this causes for everyone who was eagerly anticipating this year's HarvestFest, and we sincerely apologize to our patrons, musicians, staff, vendors, volunteers, sponsors and everyone who contributed their time and energy to HarvestFest. We are committed to presenting quality musical experiences and hope to emerge from this unfortunate setback to present events at beautiful Cherokee Farms in the future.

"The High Sierra Foundation will continue to raise money for our Katrina Fund. Donations to the fund, which will supply direct aid to New Orleans and Gulf Coast musicians affected by the storm, are being accepted at the highsierramusic.com and harvestfest.com websites.

"All of us at High Sierra Music and T-Dawg's Productions thank you for your
understanding and support."

This year's HarvestFest line-up was to have included world-class bluegrass ensemble The Del McCoury Band, whose new album The Company We Keep is earning praise from The Washington Post to People Magazine; Victor Wooten's Soul Circus led by the innovative bassist from Grammy-winning supergroup Bela Fleck and The Flecktones; The CodeTalkers featuring "The Godfather of Southern Alternative Music" Col. Bruce Hampton, Bobby Lee Rodgers and special guest Jimmy Herring (The Dead, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Allman Brothers Band); Tim O'Brien, Hot Rize founder and acclaimed multi-instrumentalist whose band features Danny Barnes (Bad Livers, Bill Frisell), Casey Driesen (Bela Fleck, Steve Earle) and Dennis Crouch (Johnny and June Carter Cash, Emmylou Harris); recently reunited the subdudes from New Orleans whose new release Miracle Mule prompted Billboard Magazine to declare the band "still has it"; Drew Emmitt Band led by the incendiary mandolinist formerly with Leftover Salmon; Great American Taxi featuring festival favorite Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon; Railroad Earth, The Duhks, Split Lip Rayfield, and many more.

HarvestFest was to have been celebrating its third year at Cherokee Farms, a 250+ acre private site that offers room for car camping, RVs, and tent camping in the woods, showers, and a swimming pond.

Officials earlier said the three-day music and camping festival "attracts music lovers of all ages with two stages, children's activities, quiet family camping, a food and beverage court featuring microbrew beer from Sweetwater and Terrapin Brewing, a craft fair, and the opportunity to catch artists in an intimate and relaxed setting."

The festival had planned to hold its first Vassar Clements Band Competition, open to bluegrass bands who are not performing as part of the official HarvestFest line-up with the winner receiving a performance slot on the main stage on Sunday and other prizes.