Chet Kingery Memorial Bluegrass Festival - Mackville

2026 Festival

Date: Friday, May 8th and Saturday, May 9th

Location: The Historic Chautauqua At Forest Park, Shelbyville, IL (Indoors-Rain or Shine)
Address: 325 N 9th Ave, Shelbyville, IL

Stay tuned for further updates!

2026 Festival Flyer

Festival Schedule

Bands - Hotel - Camping - Information Below

WELCOME TO THE CHET KINGERY MEMORIAL BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

In Memory of Chet Kingery - 1931 - 1998

The first Chet Kingery Memorial Bluegrass Festival was held on May 18, 2013 at Rockome Gardens. Its name was deemed and honored in memory of a great local bluegrass musician, Chet Kingery, who passed away in 1998. Chet Kingery played guitar with his band, Chet Kingery and the Knights of Bluegrass.

Our band, Mackville, is the host band for this festival. We are excited and proud to bring you this fantastic lineup of talent to this year's festival. Come and enjoy great music! We will be performing as well as the other bands listed below.

2026 Lineup

Appalachian Road Show

Lonesome River Band

Kenny & Amanda Smith

Tony Holt and the Wildwood Valley Boys

Illinois Rail

Coal Creek Station

Chet Kingery Memorial Bluegrass Festival Sponsors -2026

We would like to say THANK YOU for your contribution to this festival! Without the support of these sponsors, this festival would not be possible. Please patronize these businesses or just say THANK YOU to them for their support and contribution.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

PLATINUM

Shelby County State Bank
Arthur Oral Healthcare
Tri-County Steel

GOLD

Oye's Hardware
Tri-County Welding
First Fed of Central Illinois

SILVER

Bella Vista Farms
Coach House Garages
Dagny Builders
Galt Excavating
Graber Building Supply
Monical’s Pizza of Shelbyville
Okaw Truss
Plas Tec
Yoder’s Kitchen

BRONZE

Crist Termite & Pest Solutions
Dutch Valley Meats
Gingerich Repair
Jill's Design Studio
Kenrose Kitchen Cabinets
Kingery Motors
Lawson & Sons
Legacy Land Co. - Ginger Denton
Premier Design Furniture
Schlabach’s Bike Shop
The Shelby Inn
Software Solutions Integrated LLC (Shelbyville)

Lake Shelbyville 2026 Visitors Guide
A complete online digital guide for evertything Shelbyville!
www.flipsnack.com/CCCB785569B/visitor-guide-2026

Hotel and Camping Information

The Shelby Inn
217-774-3991
www.theshelbyinn.com
use promo code: FANS

The Foxmore Lodge
https://www.thefoxmore.com/stay
They are offering a festival discount.

http://www.lakeshelbyville.com/accommodations.htm

Camping Nearby - www.recreation.gov.
Opossum Creek is the nearest campground to festival.
The next closest campgrounds are Coon Creek IL
or Lithia Springs but there are numerous other campgrounds nearby.

Primitive Tent Camping Onsite

TOURISM INFORMATION

http://www.lakeshelbyville.com/

https://shelbyvilleillinois.net/

Helpful Hints & Frequently Asked Questions

The festival will be held inside so there is no need to worry about the elements of rain or wind. We will have a few doors opened depending on the weather so bring a jacket or blanket in case it might be cool.

There will be reserved seating with padded chairs. For general admission there will be bench seating available if you don’t want to bring your lawn chairs but feel free to do so as there will be plenty of room to find a perfect spot.

Handicapped parking is available at the Lions Club Building. Golf carts will be available for assistance to and from the Lions Club Building. Just ask someone and they will assist you as quickly as possible.

Only service dogs are allowed inside the Chautauqua.

Those who 16 and under are free admission.

Pavilions near the Chautauqua are reserved by the festival and are available for jamming and eating.

Restrooms are available outside of the Senior Building south of the Chautauqua. The Senior Building will be unavailable inside for the entire festival. We will also have portable restrooms and hand washing stations near the Chautauqua.

Food Trucks & Treats:
Highway Heartburn (menu below)
Eddie's Sweet Island (menu below)
DJ's Coffee Depot
Ice Cream Shack - Ice Cream
Pauletta’s Place - Kettle Corn & Flavored Popcorn

ABOUT THE CHAUTAUQUA AT FOREST PARK

The Chautauqua Auditorium was built in 1903 and is a large historic icosagonal (20 sides) wooden meeting and event hall. On January 30, 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

“It is the largest building of its kind anywhere in the world. The building was constructed by a local bridge builder and designed with a unique system of structural support. Because of this, there are no interior pillars to block the view of the stage.The large stage features three female Grecian statues representing Art, Music and Drama. These statues were works from renowned Illinois artist and Shelbyville native Robert Root.
In 2009 Landmarks Illinoisdeclared it one of the 10 most endangered historic places in Illinois. The building is in need of extensive repairs which are estimated to cost $1,750,000. The city of Shelbyville which owns the auditorium has threatened to tear it down if repairs cannot be made within 2 years. The Chautauqua Auditorium Preservation Committee is working on funding for a four-phase renovation project.
In 2020, 60% of local residents voted in favor of restoring the historic auditorium instead of demolishing it. Required restoration work included structural repairs, a new roof and floor, painting and a new stage. These preservation efforts were supported by Landmarks Illinois. The Chautauqua reopened in September 2021.”
Ref: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chautauqua_Auditorium_(Shelbyville,_Illinois)

Did You Know? Famous people who have performed at the Chautauqua include: In the early days, President William Howard Taft, three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, and evangelist Billy Sunday were highlighted. In more recent times, Dolly Parton, Allison Kraus and REO Speedwagon have performed here.

Chet Kingery Memorial Bluegrass Festival Sponsors -2025

We would like to say THANK YOU for your contribution to this festival! Without the support of these sponsors, this festival would not be possible. Please patronize these businesses or just say THANK YOU to them for their support and contribution.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

PLATINUM

Shelby County State Bank
Arthur Oral Healthcare
Tri-County Steel

GOLD

Oye's Hardware
Tri-County Welding
1st Federal Savings & Loan - Shelbyville

SILVER

Bella Vista Farms
Coach House Garages
Dagny Builders
Galt Excavating
Graber Building Supply
Monical’s Pizza of Shelbyville
Okaw Truss
Plas Tec
Yoder’s Kitchen

BRONZE

Country Salvage Store
Crist Termite & Pest Solutions
Dutch Valley Meats
Gingerich Repair
Kenrose Kitchens
Kingery Motors
Lawson & Sons
Legacy Land Co. - Ginger Denton
Schlabach’s Bike Shop
The Shelby Inn
Software Solutions Integrated LLC (Shelbyville)