Free bluegrass event ‘Sundown Jam-bilee’ at Trenton Community Park: How to go

Performers:

From 5:30-7 p.m. There will be a “Line Dancing Intermission” with Allie Ray. There will also be a mechanical bull on-site. Additionally, Edgewood/Butler Tech FFA will be represented.

Guests can bring chairs as well as cash or card to purchase food, beverages and other items from the vendors, including Schaefer’s Farm Market. For more information, visit the City of Trenton’s Facebook page at facebook.com/CityofTrentonOhio.

Joe Mullins recently announced he will retire from touring early in 2026. The Trenton concert is one of only a handful of opportunities fans will have to see Mullins before he goes off the road.

“I’m sure I’ll see a lot of old friends. I grew up in Middletown, and I’ve had friends in the Trenton neighborhood through the years. I’ve been away from the area for a while. I’ve owned the radio station in Xenia for over 30 years. So, I’ve been very active in the community in the Greater Dayton area and the Eastern half of the Miami Valley,” said Joe Mullins, leader of the band.

“The Radio Ramblers have played all over the world in the last 20 years. I think the last time we played in Butler County, we played at the Sorg Opera House in downtown Middletown when they first started restoring it. So, it’s been a few years since we got to be close to my old stomping grounds,” he said.

The Radio Ramblers will perform with Mullins throughout the remainder of the year, and the group will conclude with a show Jan. 10, 2026 at Meadowgreen Appalachian Music Park Series in Clay City, Ky.

Mullins, who will turn 60 this fall, has more than 40 years of experience as a professional musician. Following in his father Paul “Moon” Mullin’s footsteps, Joe founded the award-winning bluegrass group. He will continue his work in radio with Real Roots Radio well as putting on the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival in Wilmington.

Mullins began playing music professionally in 1982, which was the same year he was first on the radio. He purchased his first radio station in 1995, and that has grown into a regional network of stations.

Mullins will continue his radio show, 1-3 p.m., weekdays, on Real Roots Radio. He also plans to spend more time with his new granddaughter.

“I am going to stop touring full-time after the end of this year. With Trenton, we only have a few more appearances in Ohio before I come off the road,” Mullins said. “I’ve been combining banjo and broadcasting for 43 years. I started in radio at age 17, when I was still in high school.”

“I still run a network of radio stations. I still work full time. I’ve done both, so I’m still on the radio and I’ll probably still be active in the recording industry. I have a grand baby that’s 10 months old and she’s the prettiest kid in Ohio. Any time she wants to go for an ice cream cone, or out for pancakes, grandpa is going to take her. I can’t do that if I’m on a bus in Timbuktu,” he said.

Joe Mullins & Radio Ramblers released two, 10-song, new album projects this year, including a bluegrass album in June, “Lovin’, Fightin’, Losin’ Sleep” and a gospel project titled “Thankful and Blessed” came out in March.

“We just played some of the new songs at the Grand Ole Opry just days ago,” Mullins said. “And we’ll certainly sing some gospel songs for our friends in Trenton as well. They’ll hear songs of faith and inspiration, along with something that will make you kick pretty high. Come one, come all, and we will see you in Trenton.”