Octoberbrewfest Comes to Main Street Tazewell and the Velvet Room
October in the mountains has a way of making you want to linger a little longer.
On Saturday, October 3, 2026, Main Street Tazewell comes alive for Octoberbrewfest, bringing another fall celebration to the heart of downtown. And when the evening rolls around, the music continues inside The Velvet Room at Wayfarer Appalachia with a pairing that feels especially right for the mountains.
At 7 PM, Abigail Dillon and Gary Lee Dillon take the stage together for a night rooted in folk, rock, blues, Americana, and pure mountain soul. They also happen to be father and daughter.
Two Generations of Music Take the Stage
There is something different about watching family members make music together. They don't simply share a stage. They share history. Abigail Dillon brings a warm, expressive voice that can quiet a room and pull an audience directly into a song. With guitar in hand, she moves naturally between heartfelt folk, soulful blues and familiar favorites, bringing her own spirit and interpretation to every performance. Then there's Gary.
Gary Lee Dillon has spent more than 45 years singing, writing, performing and playing music, building a musical life that stretches far beyond one instrument, one sound or one stage.
His musical arsenal includes guitar, violin, pedal steel, banjo, bass, lap steel and more, and his performances have taken him across the United States and Canada.
Gary Lee Dillon Brings Decades of Musical History
Over the years, Gary's musical road has crossed with some remarkable company, including Hubert Sumlin, Rick Danko of The Band, members of Bob Dylan's band, Railroad Earth, George Recile, Cesar Diaz, Tony Garnier, Andy Goessling, Jeff Sarli and The Blue Sparks from Hell.
He is also a songwriter and recording artist with two albums of original material, Woods and Somewhere Around E Flat, as well as appearances on numerous recordings by other artists. That kind of résumé would make for a memorable night on its own. But October 3 is about something more.
The Kind of Music That Gets Passed Down
Appalachian music has always traveled person to person. Across kitchen tables. On front porches. At church gatherings. In living rooms. Around campfires. Between musicians who knew a song and somebody younger who wanted to learn it.
That is part of what makes seeing Abigail and Gary together so fitting. This isn't simply two musicians booked for the same evening. It is two generations bringing their own musical journeys into the same room.
Gary brings decades of performing, writing, and playing.
Abigail brings a voice and perspective entirely her own.
And somewhere between the two is what has kept mountain music alive for generations: the music changes, but the connection remains.
Octoberbrewfest Brings Fall to Historic Main Street Tazewell
Octoberbrewfest gives you a good reason to spend the day on Historic Main Street in Tazewell, Virginia. Come downtown. Enjoy the fall weather. Walk Main Street. Spend some time with friends. Grab something good to eat and enjoy the energy of one of Tazewell's fall gatherings.
Then, when evening settles over the mountains, make your way to Wayfarer Appalachia.
Inside the Velvet Room, the pace changes.
The lights come down.
The conversation settles.
And the songs take over.
Live Music, Appalachian-Inspired Food and Handcrafted Cocktails
Wayfarer was built around nights like this. Along with live music, guests can enjoy chef-crafted Appalachian-inspired dishes, local beef, scratch cooking, handcrafted cocktails and distinctive desserts right in the heart of downtown Tazewell.
The Velvet Room offers something different from a large concert venue. It gives you the chance to actually experience the performers, to hear the stories, catch the quieter moments, and feel the connection between the musicians and the room.
With a father and daughter sharing the stage, that intimacy matters even more.
Abigail Dillon & Gary Lee Dillon Live at Wayfarer
Make October 3 a full day in Tazewell.
Come downtown for Octoberbrewfest.
Stay for dinner and a handcrafted cocktail.
Then settle into the Velvet Room for two generations of music, one family story, and a night with some stories in the strings.
Abigail Dillon & Gary Lee Dillon
Saturday, October 3, 2026, 7 PM
The Velvet Room at Wayfarer Appalachia
Historic Main Street, Tazewell, Virginia
Fall in the mountains. Main Street alive. Good food. Cold drinks. And music worth staying for. That sounds like October in Tazewell.
