By Susan Redden

sredden@joplinglobe.com

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Six bands will be featured in free performances on the courthouse square on Saturday as part of the eighth annual Carthage Acoustic Music Festival.

The event begins with a special, pre-festival concert at 7 p.m. today in the auditorium of the old Carthage High School. Performances will feature the Alferd Packer Memorial String Band, of Lawrence, Kan., and the Vern Young Trio, based in Lamar.

The Alferd Packer band includes two fiddlers, a guitarist, a dobro player and an accordion player, and also serves up some comedic music featuring kazoos, whistles and drums. The 85-year-old Young heads up a trio that sings mountain and western ballads from the 1940s and 1950s. Admission is $8.

Free, all-acoustic music is scheduled for 1 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, according to H.J. “Jake” Johnson, who has spearheaded the festival since its beginning.

An open stage starting at 10 a.m. will allow amateur musicians to showcase their talents.

Johnson called the amateur performances “as much fun as any of it.”

“No electric and no karaoke is permitted. Individuals are given 10 minutes to perform and two or more musicians are allowed 20 minutes,” he said.

The afternoon performance will start at 1 p.m. with the Farnum Family, from Galena, Kan., which is frequently featured at Silver Dollar City.

On the Edge, a Baxter Springs, Kan., group that performs an eclectic mix of songs and styles will play at 2 and 6 p.m. The Vern Young Trio will play at 3 and 7 p.m.

The Alferd Packer band will perform at 4 and 8 p.m. and the Fabulous BRD’s, a local group featuring lead singer Bob Novak, will play at 5 p.m.

The final group, Baled Green and Wired Tight, will perform at 9 p.m. The foursome includes Lee Ann and Jack Sours from Neosho. The group plans to bring along a caller in hopes of getting the audience to participate in Civil War-style contra dancing in the street.

It was a popular activity last year, Johnson said.