 |
| Dancers at Watermelon Park |
Taking place September 20-22 along
the banks of the Shenandoah River in Berryville, VA, Watermelon
Park Fest is one of the last chances of the season to get outdoors and
see some great music while camping. This year marks the ninth annual Watermelon Park Festival, although the
park’s history goes back much farther:
it was the site of the first US bluegrass festival, held in 1960. Watermelon Park continued to host bluegrass festivals throughout the '60s and '70s. After a 25 year hiatus, organizers Shepherds Ford Productions brought the music back to Watermelon Park in 2004. The festival has been growing ever since.
A strong roots music tradition
remains although it has expanded beyond bluegrass to include old-time, Americana, Celtic, gypsy jazz and beyond, as seen in the 2012 lineup,
which includes: The Del McCoury Band, Tim O’Brien, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, The Hot Seats, The Two Man Gentlemen
Band, Furnace
Mountain, Bruce Molsky,
Elizabeth Laprelle,
The Woodshedders, Dirty Bourbon River
Show and more. Performances are
staggered between the main stage and the dance tent so they rarely overlap. Check out all the bands here.
In addition to the band
performances, there’s also mandolin, guitar and band contests, workshops on
partner dancing, old-time fiddling, folk song, banjo, flat-footing and
clogging, plus open jams for both
slow and advanced players, as well as evening
dances! Not to mention the impromptu
jam circles sure to spring up
throughout the camping area. Food and
craft vendors will also be on hand.
Bring the kids! Youngsters 12 and under are admitted free. Children’s activities include a watermelon
feast and boat build, poster making, storytelling, musical shadow puppets, toy
sword making, printmaking and watermelon carving. Watermelon Park strives to be an environmentally friendly festival,
incorporating green practices with the goal of being a zero waste and carbon neutral event. Vendors and exhibitors distribute only
recyclable or compostable materials.
Watermelon Park
is located at 3322 Lockes Mill Rd., Berryville, Virginia 22611. About an hour from DC and 2 hours from
Richmond or Charlottesville. Tickets
range from $40-$60 (+ will call fee) for a single day pass to $80 (+ will call
fee) for the entire weekend. Tent
camping is included. Early check-in on
Wednesday is an option for weekend ticketholders.
I’m looking forward to a great weekend of music,
fun and happy camping in the Shenandoah Valley at Berryville’s Watermelon Park Fest!
No comments:
Post a Comment