SANDY RIVER PLANTATION — Rain gear and umbrellas were highly visible on Saturday, the last day of the third annual Saddleback Mountain Bluegrass Festival at Saddleback Ski Resort.

By 3 p.m., a crowd estimated at 800 people of all ages had watched lively performances by 317 Main Street, The HillBenders and MilkDrive.

More people continued to file in to catch the remaining performers: Della Mae, The Gibson Brothers, The Bluegrass Ball featuring The Travelin’ McCourys and special guest, Michael Daves, and the Sam Bush Band.

Many in the crowd said they came to watch Daves and the Sam Bush Band.

Despite sitting in lawn chairs covered by a gray tarp while garbed in rain jackets, Sue Dunn and Bob White of Jackson, N.H., said the weather didn’t bother them.

“We’re here at the Saddleback Bluegrass Festival and we’re just having a great time,” White said as The HillBenders band of Springfield, Mo., performed their newgrass music on stage beside the lodge. “It’s a little wet, but it’s going to be OK.”

White said he’s been a fan of bluegrass for 20 years, while Dunn’s a relative newcomer at five years.

“We’re here to see Sam Bush, especially, because we just saw him out in Telluride, Colo., a month ago,” White said.

The pair said they travel all over the country to catch bluegrass festivals. They said heavy rain in Jackson caused them to miss the festival’s opening night performances on Friday by Tricky Britches, Chasing Blue, Local Circus, Daves and the Red Stick Ramblers.

High winds and driving rain forced Friday night’s bands and a crowd of 500 to 600 people into the ski lodge, organizers said.

317 Main Street Ensemble opened Saturday’s performances, featuring Kris Cody on mandolin, Grace Gilbert on mandolin and vocals, Natalie Hauptman on vocals, Tim Morse on guitar, Jessica Powers on banjo and vocals, and Nowell Stoddard on bass.

The youths are from four area schools and began practicing in June under the coaching and guidance of 317 instructor Matt Shipman.

Fog swirled among the crowd as it began to rain when The HillBenders took the stage at 11:20 a.m., launching into bass player Gary Rea’s “Another Day, Another Dollar.”

Members of The HillBenders are Mark Cassidy on banjo, Gary Rea on bass, Jim Rea on guitar, Nolan Lawrence on mandolin and Chad “Gravy Boat” Graves on Dobro.

After the set, Cassidy left the stage, leaving behind a bewildered Lawrence for a few minutes until he returned. Cassidy’s banjo had stopped working, Lawrence told the crowd, so he’d borrowed another one.

“Foggy mountain breakdown,” Lawrence quipped to the crowd’s amusement.

He and whirling dervish Jim Rea got the crowd involved and drew loud applause to an amped-up tune called “Past the Point of Rescue,” which sounded more like Mexican rock than bluegrass.

Contemporary jazz-grass band MilkDrive took the stage next, making their Maine debut at a much slower, finessing pace.

The Austin, Texas, band featured award-winning instrumentalists Brian Beken on fiddle and lead vocals, Noah Jeffries on guitar and harmony vocals, Dennis Ludiker on mandolin and harmony vocals, and Matt Mefford on double bass.

Beken said the band was touring the nation to promote its new album, “Waves,” which came out in June.

For bluegrass musician and aficionado Tim Spaulding of Kennebunk, who plays guitar and mandolin, the festival was great.

“I just love the way the music makes me feel,”  he said.

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