Katahdin Valley Boys Play Final Show After 28 Years

The Katahdin Valley Boys, a Maine bluegrass band that formed 28 years ago, played its final show at the old town hall in St. Albans on an October afternoon in 2026, News Center Maine reported.

Banjo player Jeff Folger started the group with a friend and remained through lineup changes. Guitarist Ken Brooks and bass player Steve Bixby joined about 18 years ago, and mandolin and fiddle player Dan Simons came on nine years ago, settling the band into its current four-member form.

The group performed across Maine and New England, and at times farther afield, building a following on the bluegrass festival circuit with multi-part vocal harmonies. Brooks, Folger and Bixby are retired from previous jobs, and Simons teaches middle school string instruments, which left the band free to play most weekends in summer.

Folger said he wanted to leave the stage while the band still sounded good rather than have audiences remember a decline. The members had played the St. Albans hall several times before, sometimes to raise money for the building's restoration, according to the report.

The hall filled on both the floor and the wraparound balcony. The band closed with "Will The Circle Be Unbroken," with the audience singing along. Simons and Brooks both said they would continue playing and teaching.

This story was first reported by newscentermaine.com.