If you share an office with any bluegrass fans, you might find that they are suspiciously absent on Thursday and Friday.

That might be thanks to the fourth annual "Appalachian Uprising" in Scottown, a three-day bluegrass festival that has doubled in attendance every year, and shows no signs of slowing.

The festival is the brainchild of promoter/producer Bob Delong, owner of Earth Productions, and Steve Cielec, owner of Eden Valley Farm where the festival takes place.

Cielec's childhood in Cleveland was full of outdoor music, fun that he was looking to recreate with a festival of his own on his farm. He attended a festival created by Delong, who had already been kicking around the idea for a bluegrass festival, and the two began work on Appalachian Uprising.

"We just agreed to basically try to build up the best 'newgrass' festival we possibly can for the area to give people in this Tri-State area something to look forward to, something positive, something exciting," Delong said.

"Newgrass" is the slightly hipper take on bluegrass that is the festival's main offering, but there's plenty of classic bluegrass on tap for purists.

Plenty of national acts will be lighting up the stage for attendees, like newgrass luminaries the Yonder Mountain String Band, and, in their fourth "Uprising" appearance, the Sam Bush Band.

"Sam is just a mainstay in what they call 'newgrass' and he's played here every year," Cielec said. "He said he loves playing out there, and we love having him. ŠWe hope he continues."

Sharing the stage with those groups will be plenty of locals, some of which have become newgrass legends in their own rights.

Boss Tweed, Melvin Goins and Windy Mountain, String Therapy, Men From Earth, and Genuine Junk Band all either hail from the Tri-State or have members from the area.

The music is all set in what Cielec describes as a "family-friendly" environment, with plenty of room for campers or parking for those who don't want to camp out.

That communal spirit, Delong said, is a favorite part of the festival.

"It's basically like a big family campout, there's just a lot of campers and tents strewn out across the valley and a bunch of people gather together around the front of the stage and dance and celebrate," Delong said. "It's just like a big family get-together."

Approximately 1,700 attended the festival last year, and Delong said that number could easily double this year.

Tickets are available at the gate at $60 for a three-day pass, with single-day passes available for varying prices. More information on tickets, artists and directions to the farm are available on Earth Production's Web site, http://www.earthproductions.net.