Photo by HUNTER WILSON/Daily News David Roemer (left) practices with Ricky Burch, a member of Curtis Burch and Friends, last year during the Hoedown at Shakertown. The annual event, which teams bluegrass musicians with the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra for a night of outdoor music, returns Sept. 13 at the Shaker Museum at South Union. John Cowan is headlining this year’s Hoedown.

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The Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra and the Shaker Museum at South Union will provide a night of bluegrass under the stars with the second Hoedown at Shakertown.

Sponsored by BB&T and Logan Aluminum, the concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 on the Shaker grounds, which will open at 6 p.m. Ticket prices begin at $18. Lawn and table seating will be available. Those who buy lawn seats should bring lawn chairs or blankets. People can bring their own food and beverages, pre-order a catered meal by Brickyard Cafe in Franklin or get food on site from Chaney’s Dairy Barn and Roy’s Pit Bar-B-Q. Ticket and meal reservations can be made by calling the orchestra office at 846-2426 or by visiting www.bgco.com.

“It’s the ‘staycation’ thing to do,” BGCO marketing director Heather Higgins said. “It’s ... beautiful music.”

John Cowan - who was the lead singer of 1970s progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, which included Sam Bush and Curtis Burch - will perform with the orchestra. His latest album is “Tattoo,” his first release for Pinecastle Records.

“Last year, we featured Curtis Burch. This year, we’re featuring his former bandmate John Cowan,” BGCO music director and conductor Jeff Reed said. “John Cowan and his band performed with us in 2004. We wanted to bring him back because it was so successful.”

Baritone Jim Rittenhouse will sing songs by American composer Aaron Copland, who wrote the Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts.”

“We’re following the same format - combining classical music from Aaron Copland. He wrote classical music that has a bluegrass influence.”

Reed said the orchestra wanted to take advantage of the Shaker Museum’s scenery for the concert. Last year’s event drew about 500 people.

“We were looking for an outdoor venue because orchestras across the United States often have outdoor venues for their concert, and they’re often located outside the city,” he said. “We approached the museum because it was such a beautiful setting.”

Emily Harlan, museum operations manager at Shaker Museum, agreed that the museum grounds are the perfect place for the concert.

“South Union offers a beautiful setting for the concert. It’s being held on the old foundation of one of the buildings that was here with the Centre House as a backdrop,” she said. “It was well attended last year, and we’re hoping to get more people this year.”

— For more information about Shaker Village, visit www.shakermuseum.com. For more information about the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra, visit www.bgco.com.