Cotton Wood celebrates anniversary
Washburn and Center bluegrass band Cotton Wood will look back this month on two decades of the group that started as a way to recover from a national tragedy. Cotton Wood bluegrass is ringing in its 21st anniversary this month with a special concern at the North Dakota Heritage Center, where years of bluegrass will be celebrated with cupcakes, companionship and, of course, some bluegrass.
Band member Jill Wiese said the band, comprised of members from Center and Washburn, has performed together since 2001, when they received a reminder about the brevity of life. “9/11 happened and we formed up our band a week or two later because of where the
world was at that time,” Wiese said. “Everything was uncertain and we thought ‘What in the heck. Let’s start up a bluegrass band!”
Over the next 21 years, Cotton Wood would perform everywhere from Missouri River sandbars to local community festivals like Duck
Fest in Bowdon and Horsefest in Taylor.
