The Joe Val Bluegrass Festival
After Joe’s passing, the benefit was transformed into an annual Joe Val Day, later the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, held every year (except when interrupted by the COVID pandemic and hotel issues), as a tribute to Joe and to honor his legacy.
For the next seven summers – 1986 through 1992 Joe Val Day was a free, one-day festival held each June on the Waltham Common. Rod O’Neill, a friend of Joe’s from Waltham, organized the first six of those, with Bob Weiser coming on board to head up the 1992 festival. Bob also ran the 1993 festival, renamed the Joe Val Memorial Bluegrass Festival at Bentley College. Bob was another Waltham resident, Brandeis graduate, local folk music presenter under the Watch City Arts banner, and folk radio DJ on WBRS at Brandeis.
In 1994, Bob convinced Gerry Katz that the BBU needed to take on the production of the event. The BBU’s initial efforts continued as a single day festival, with the 1994 and 1995 editions held at Waltham’s Leary Field. Beginning in 1996 and through 1999, Gerry – who was living in Newton – brought the City of Newton Parks and Recreation Department on board, and the festival, with “Memorial” dropped from the name was relocated to the Newton North High School as part of Newton’s Art in the Park program. The event was elevated in stature with a roster of touring bands supported by paid admission.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no festival for two years. Then the BBU faced difficulties with the host hotel which precluded hosting another full event. In 2023 and 2024, the BBU hosted “JamVal” scaled-back events with workshops and jamming but no main stage activities. The event continued as a Presidents Weekend-long destination for fans of bluegrass music.
In 2025, the BBU announced the resumption of the festival, slated to take place February 12-15, 2026 – once again at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel. The 40th edition of the festival will feature a very strong lineup, among those including Del McCoury, who was scheduled to performed with the Dixie Pals at Joe Val’s own last show for the BBU back in 1985. Joe’s illness prevented him from making that date.
The Joe Val Bluegrass Festival was honored by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) in 2006 with the IBMA Event of the Year Award. Accepting the award in Nashville were BBU President and Festival Executive Director Gerry Katz and BBU Vice President Stan Zdonik.
In 2016, the BBU was honored by IBMA with its Distinguished Achievement Award.
Joe Val himself was posthumously honored with a Distinguished Achievement Award in 1995 and inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2019. Gerry Katz said, “I think it is safe to say, that the BBU and the prominence of the Joe Val Festival have successfully honored the legacy of Joe Val, kept his memory alive, and been very helpful in gaining these honors for Joe.”62
Footnotes –
- Gerry Katz email to the author on December 1, 2025.