John Reynolds Staff Writer @JohnReynoldsSJR

ASHLAND -- Mike and Martie Senkler had one of the best camping spots around Saturday for the annual Crazy Horse Bluegrass Festival.

The couple, from the small town of Dunfermline, which is south of Canton in Fulton County, had a spot just behind the Crazy Horse lodge. The back porch of the lodge served as a stage for the festival, which meant the Senklers could sit at a picnic table under their campers awning and watch and listen to the bands.

This is the first bluegrass festival Ive been to where the stage is outside on a back porch. Usually, youre inside a building sitting in a row of chairs. This is a lot more informal, Martie Senkler said. I can sit here, listen to the music and read my book.

Andy Egolf, one of the owners of the Crazy Horse Campground, said that this is the 10th year for the festival. The campground has a rural Ashland address and is about halfway between Virginia and Jacksonville.

The festival usually draws a couple hundred of people, which includes people like the Senklers who camp for the weekend and others who stop by for the day to hear the music. While the Senklers had their picnic table, other people brought chairs or blankets and set up on the grass lawn behind the lodge.

The crowd here, especially the bluegrass crowd, is a wonderful crowd, Egolf said. Theyre very happy and easy to get along with -- very polite. Its a great crowd.

Eight groups were scheduled to play at this years festival. As the Senklers sat outside their camper Saturday, they listened to High Fidelity, a bluegrass band out of Nashville, Tennessee.

Jan Lease of Jacksonville, who helps books the acts at the festival, said High Fidelity is an award-winning bluegrass band.

Most recently in 2014, they were the national champions of the SPBGMA, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America. SPBGMA has an annual competition in Nashville, Lease said.

Michael Feagan and Fiddlegrass Band also played at the Crazy Horse festival. Feagan previously played with Bill Monroes Blue Grass Boys. Monroe, who died in 1996, is known as the father of bluegrass music.

The Crazy Horse festival started Friday evening and concludes Sunday morning. When theyre not on stage, the musicians have time to visit with the fans.

This is a small, intimate setting. It makes it more personal, Lease said. You dont stand in long lines to talk to the performers. In fact, many times at festivals such as this youll see a young musician from the local area come in and they might even sit down with him and show him how to play this tune or that tune.

The only event scheduled for Sunday is a gospel service, which runs from 10 to 11 a.m. Admission to the gospel service is $5 per family. The address for the campground is 2113 Crazy Horse Road, Ashland.

Egolf said next years festival will be held June 22-24.

The Senklers said they will back next year in the same spot.

Its a very relaxing weekend. We enjoy it out here, Mike Senkler said.

Contact John Reynolds: john.reynolds@sj-r.com, 788-1524, twitter.com/JohnReynoldsSJR.

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