Winter Creek Reunion 2025 lineup

Since being interviewed by PlayBranson.com a couple of years ago, Ilace (“Eye-less”) Mears has decided that she is a bona fide Branson entertainer, although she still has trouble saying this with a straight face. Her youth was spent in Louisiana playing classical violin and piano. Later, in Tennessee, music sometimes interfered with her career in Early Childhood Education. Hammered dulcimer became a joyful obsession at age 50 and she’s still at it! Ilace is the 2016 National HD Champ and plays a wide range of tunes, from Bach to Broadway to Bluegrass and more. So far, she’s recorded three studio albums and produced over 30 3-part arrangements, as well as a collection of hymn arrangements. Her accomplishments include highly acclaimed teaching and performing at events from Michigan to Louisiana, and Virginia to California – and most of the QuaranTUNE online festivals She enjoys entertaining exotic butterflies and visitors to the Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure in Branson, MO; several humans (including her grandson); and her cat, Bob.  www.ilacemears.com

2023 Walnut Valley Festival National Mountain Dulcimer Champion David Wilson has taught a variety of stringed instruments for thirty-five years in private lessons, music camps and festival workshops. 

As a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, instructor and touring musician, David has contributed to nearly 300 folk and acoustic music recordings, including National Champion Mountain Dulcimer players Gary Gallier and Les Gallier, National Hammer Dulcimer Champion Ilace Mears, Dave Para & Cathy Barton, mountain dulcimer songstress Anne MacFie, Kentucky Standard Band mountain dulcimer player Nancy Barker Johnson and hammer dulcimer players Alice Burton and Nancy Dailey to name a few. 

David is a founding member of acoustic progressive-fusion group The Undergrass Boys and Radio Flyer, voted the 1985 Best New Bluegrass Band in America. 

David recorded and performed in Beyond Reach with Larry Lee (Jackie Blue) and Randle Chowning (If You Want to Get to Heaven), founding members of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, as well as renowned songwriter and author Marideth Sisco & Blackberry Winter. David appeared in and contributed to the soundtrack for the film “Chrystal” starring Billy Bob Thornton and Harry Dean Stanton. He is featured in a Laura Ingalls Wilder documentary playing tunes on Charles “Pa” Ingalls’ actual fiddle.

David has performed at thousands of festivals and on concert stages all across America.

David and his lovely wife Julie live in Springfield, Missouri. They operate a fiddle repair shop and an acoustic music recording studio. David plays on the worship team at their church. They enjoy weekend getaways, day trip adventures and spending time with their seven children and 10 grandchildren.

Margaret purchased her first mountain dulcimer in 1994 in Mountain View, Arkansas.  Since finding Old Time Music at the college in Mars Hill, North Carolina, she has dedicate a lot of time in collecting and playing old fiddle tunes from the Appalachian Mountains.  Margaret organizes the Old Pal Festival in Palestine TX each March and can be seen playing bass, leading Sacred Harp, and teaching at many festivals throughout the US.  Her love for old-time music and teaching has become her trade-mark in the music world.  

!Margaret has proven herself to be in much demand over the US at festivals like Mars Hill, Ozark Folk Center, Christmas at Old Fort Concho, Lone Star State Dulcimer Festival, and of course she's one of our dearest our mainstays here at Winter Creek Reunion.   

Meet Christopher, Joel, Nicholas, and Luke!  

The Vanderveer Brothers String Band is a driving and energetic old-time string band from the Fort Worth/Dallas metroplex that specializes in giving performances for many different kinds of events. Being extremely versatile, the brothers have enthused audiences of 10-15 to groups of 600+ with their rousing performances.

The brothers, each being multi-instrumentalists, play a wide range of instruments, including hammered dulcimer, guitar, banjo, fiddle, piano/keyboard, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, bones, pennywhistle, jaw harp, and harmonicas! Featuring the only brothers ever to win the Lone Star State Hammered Dulcimer Competition, they combine musical excellence and unquestionable fun into an unforgettable experience!

Our very favorite gospel group will be back, thank you so very much!  We give them a generous set and still would let them stay as long as they could hold out if we didn't have other great people we want to hear.  Come hear their beautiful harmony, songs from the heart as well as our past, and their amazing skills on fiddle, bass, mandolin, autoharp, guitar, and much more.  You will be as mesmerized as we are!

 Sweet Song String Band was founded in 1978 with Dana Hamilton and David Lindsey on hammered dulcimer and Judy Hamilton and Annette Lindsey on mountain dulcimers.  Dana chimes in with banjo and guitar now and Judy usually plays the bouzouki (an octave lower mandolin) during performances.  When Annette figured out her piano background could be put to use playing backup piano the band's sound found its voice they were looking for and the band took off as one of the most sought after old-time string bands in the US, especially with Dana adding his amazing talent as an old-time barn dance caller.  They performed at the Texas Folklife Festival from 1981-2002, Six Flags over Texas Heritage Festival for 17 years, multiple barn dances and reenactment venues, and many festivals over the US.  2019 saw them in Ireland touring County Kerry!Sweet Song String Band's motto has always been "when it quits being fun, that's when we will quit playing!"  Well, it has never quit being fun for them!  So join them for a rip-roaring good time!
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