BRIDGTON — The seventh annual Deep Freeze Bluegrass Music Festival will celebrate David A. Lee’s memory on Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Old Hall on Route 302.

“David started this important fundraiser for LEA, which is also a wonderful event for the community,” said Peter Lowell, executive director of the Lakes Environmental Association. “It brings top-notch bluegrass bands to the area for fans and families to enjoy. It’s really a fun evening.”

The festival will begin at 7 p.m. Attendees are urged to bring their musical instruments for the open jam.

The event is just one of many ways Lee, who died on Oct. 28, contributed to the community. He also served on the Bridgton Planning Board and was a volunteer firefighter for the South Bridgton Fire Department for 50-plus years. He first got involved with LEA a decade ago, when he sold a parcel of land that became part of the Holt Pond Preserve.

“That was a good example of how much he did for the community,” Lowell said. “It’s a very diverse and interesting piece of property, and he worked with us so it was affordable for the preserve project. Sawyer Brook runs through the 100-plus acres, and there several types of forest ecosystems there.”

Lee didn’t play an instrument, but was a longtime and avid bluegrass fan, traveling all along the East Coast for bluegrass festivals and picking parties. He was one of the earlier charter members of the Bluegrass Music Association of Maine and had extensive contacts in the bluegrass community.

In 2004, Lee came to Lowell with the idea of a January event to benefit LEA and lake protection, saying “I can usually find some bands that will donate some time in the winter, when in the summer they’re all booked up.”

Performing at this year’s bluegrass festival will be the following:

* The Hemingway Brothers of Harrison, a fast moving, hard-driving traditional group that plays festivals and private events all over New England. Brothers Kip and Dale Hemingway have been playing music together for well over 20 years and their tight harmonies are reminiscent of famous brother duos of years past.

* Bruce “Curly Ray” Hobart of Mechanic Falls plays an old-time fiddle and occasionally mandolin.

*John Sparrow has been playing the upright acoustic bass for more than 45 years.

* Hunter Webber of Minot is just 17, but still brings a wealth of drive and experience to the band.

* Squash and Gourds is a popular family band made up of Dan Pierce of New Gloucester; his sons, Jack and Tucker; his daughter, Samantha; and Carter Logan, better known as a member of Jerks of Grass, who is joined by his daughter, Sarah.

* Jewell Clark and Donnie Katlin have been entertaining audiences for years with their casual “sitting at the kitchen table style,” playing many old and new tunes as well as originals and some old-fashioned yodeling. Clark inherited the skill of yodeling from her Dad, Yodeling Slim Clark, who over his 70-year career became known internationally for yodeling and singing old cowboy songs.    

Tickets are $15 for adults, $25 for couples and $30 for families. They are available at the LEA office, 230 Main St., Bridgton; Bridgton Books; Running With Scissors and at the door.

For more information, call LEA at 647-8580 or visit [email protected].