A Putnam County native recently picked up an international bluegrass award. Hurricane native, Ali Vance, won the 2025 International Bluegrass Music Association Momentum Vocalist of the Year during a ceremony last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A news release noted that the IBMA’s Momentum Awards are given annually to rising artists, performers and workers in the bluegrass industry. Vance is a graduate of Hurricane High School and earned a degree from Belmont University in 2021. She currently leads Nashville-based bluegrass band DownRiver Collective.