SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Attention bluegrass enthusiasts: The music hasn’t stopped. It’s just taking a break between sets.

Citing a sour economy punctuated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, organizers of the annual Bluegrass Festival at Historic Blakeley State Park have opted to take a one-year hiatus while pending litigation is settled and tourists return to Baldwin County visitors’ attractions.

“We hope to make up the loss of our 2010 festival to all our loyal Bluegrass Festival musicians and patrons by producing an even bigger and better event in the fall of 2011,” said park director Jo Ann Flirt.

In addition to economic factors involved, Flirt said rescheduling of a land-ownership trial from Aug. 16 to Oct. 4 interfered with the event’s standing first-Saturday-in-October date.

The lawsuit contests ownership of land within the Spanish Fort park’s confines that was deeded to the Historic Blakeley Foundation 20 years ago by International Paper Co.

Faithful festivalgoer Ginny Lang of Fairhope said while she is disappointed by the cancellation, she is hopeful the respite will leave everybody hungry for more.

“I’m going to miss it, but one year’s not going to make me forget about it. I’ll be there with my fan and my blanket next October,” Lang said.

Laura Dennis of Spanish Fort, who has only missed a handful of festivals in the event’s 25-year history said she’s going to chalk the temporary loss up to “one more thing the oil spill snatched away from us this year.”

“The (Bluegrass) festival is a tradition. It’s a lot of fun you can feel good about bringing your kids to, and you don’t have to spend half the day in the car getting there,” Dennis said.

Flirt said Blakeley’s heavy oak canopy covering the festival site offers a unique outdoor setting removed from the sun’s heat and glare.

“We have people who just absolutely love bluegrass, and there’s not that much opportunity for them to hear it, but being able to sit down back under the big oak trees just makes for a pleasant day for everybody,” she said.

And to be clear, Flirt said the festival is by no means a money-making event for the park.

“Out-of-pocket we usually spend about $10,000 or less, and we have struggled to break even,” she said, noting the budget has always been tight even in the absence of a national recession.

The festival’s biggest challenge, she said, is spreading the word outside of Baldwin County.

“We’ve got a lot of bluegrass fans in this area, and we’re starting to see a lot of younger people showing up, and our band leaders are getting younger and younger. We just want people to spread the word and come out and support us next year,” Flirt said.

For more information on Historic Blakeley State Park visit www.blakeleypark.org or call (251) 626-0798.