The city is making what is being billed as a "huge" announcement of a cultural event Wednesday -- and signs point to the International Bluegrass Music Association. City representatives could not be reached for comment Tuesday; but if all goes as expected, the IBMA will be holding its 2013 awards show and convention in Raleigh.

The IBMA awards currently reside in Nashville, site of the 2012 awards show in September. IBMA representatives have been mulling a move for some time and they came to Raleigh in March to check out the city's facilities, reportedly coming away impressed. They were scheduled to vote on the matter at a board meeting the following month. In a development that is probably not coincidental, William Lewis (executive director of Raleigh-based PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music) was just appointed to the IBMA's board of directors.

UPDATE: A more complete story about this can be found here.