KINGFIELD – The world-renowned Kruger Brothers will return to the Kennedy Farm Saturday, June 28, as headliners for the 6th annual Kingfield POPS.

Banjoist Jens Kruger, guitarist and lead singer Uwe Kruger and bassist Joel Landsberg most recently have been performing at music festivals in Branson, Mo.; Hotchkiss, Colo.; and Galax, Va., with stops in North Carolina, Utah and North Dakota.

According to its Web site, the group has also been featured on the award-winning bluegrass concert series “Song of the Mountains,” airing this month on many PBS affiliates across the United States.

“The crowds we’ve performed to have been just wonderful. We’ve really enjoyed reuniting with old friends and making many new ones,” Landsberg said in a prepared statement. “Uwe, Jens and I are eager to return to Maine and the beautiful Kennedy Farm for this year’s Kingfield POPS. From all we’ve heard, this year’s event is going to be even more spectacular than in year’s past, and we are proud to be part of it once again.”

Kingfield POPS will begin with the popular Festival of the Arts, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring 30-plus artists and artisans, and live music throughout the day. Visitors can interact with artists and artisans exhibiting photography, jewelry, stained glass, blown glass, paintings, metal works, wooden bowls and spinning yarn.

Maine musicians scheduled to perform include the Widow’s Mite Band, playing contemporary Christian rock; Nadia and Jocko, Jeff Beedy’s band, playing blues, acoustics and soul music; the Kingfield Chorus led by Dot Lambert; Sweetgrass; and the Fugitives from Kingfield.

After the Festival of the Arts, gates will open at the Kennedy Farm for the Kingfield POPS, beginning at 4 p.m. Taking the stage will be Nadia and Jocko; the Bangor Symphony Orchestra presenting two of its ensembles performing rousing brass and percussion pieces; and Edith Jones Project, an all-female group from the Portland area, playing big band sounds.

Bringing the evening to its musical conclusion will be the Kruger Brothers, followed by a fireworks display.

The Kruger Brothers first appeared at Kingfield POPS in 2006 as part of a collaboration with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra that culminated with the triumphant world premiere of “Music from the Spring: A Romantic Serenade for Banjo, Guitar, Bass & Orchestra” in June 2007.

In the fall of 2007, the Kruger Brothers performed excerpts of the piece at Murray State University in Murray, Ky., with the Murray State Wind Ensemble. The concert was so successful that they are returning in September 2008 for an encore performance with the ensemble. The Thayer Symphony Orchestra in Leominster, Mass., has scheduled its first collaboration with the Kruger Brothers for April 2009.

The Kruger Brother’s recent CD release, “The Suite, Vol. One,” features selections from “Music from the Spring” and is the first CD released by the Kruger Brothers comprised entirely of their own compositions. “The thing is, the music we’re creating is accepted all over the country equally, so between the three of us, it’s a tremendous creative experience,” Landsberg said. “We’re playing almost exclusively all of our own material in concert, and it’s such a great feeling to experience the beauty and the emotional strength of this music.”

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