Five Week Reminder: The Northern California Bluegrass Society Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival in Tres Pinos has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus Crisis. The festival, which was originally planned for August 12-15, 2021, will return in 2022.
The Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, presented by Brookdale Bluegrass and welcomed by NCBS, will be held at the historical park August 13-15. This festival is usually held in the spring.
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Here is the current status of bluegrass events of interest to Northern California bluegrass fans as of July 11, 2021. This guide will be updated as new information becomes available.
JULY
16-18 — Bluegrass Ramble, Camp Navarro, Navarro. Postponed to 2022.
23-25 — Rockygrass Bluegrass Festival, Planet Bluegrass Ranch, Lyons, CO. As scheduled.
AUGUST
1 — Jerry Garcia Day, McLaren Park, San Francisco. As scheduled.
12-15 — NCBS Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival, San Benito County Historical Park, Tres Pinos. Cancelled, will return in 2022.
13-15 — Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, San Benito County Historical Park, Tres Pinos (NCBS welcomed). Note new location, as scheduled.
13-15 — Mt. St. Helens Bluegrass Festival, Olsen Park, Toledo, WA. As scheduled.
19-22 — Bower’s Mansion Bluegrass Festival, Bower’s Mansion Regional Park, Carson City, NV. As scheduled.
20-22 — Summergrass San Diego, Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, Vista. As scheduled.
SEPTEMBER
3-5 — Plumas Homegrown Americana Festival, Plumas County Fairgrounds, Quincy (NCBS welcomed). As scheduled.
3-5 — Burning Man Festival, Black Rock City, NV. Cancelled.
3-5 — Four Corners Folk Festival, Reservoir Hill Park, Pagosa Springs, CO. As scheduled.
17-19 — McCloud Mountain Bluegrass Festival, Hoo Hoo Park, McCloud. As scheduled.
17-19 — Millpond Music Festival, Millpond Recreation Area, Bishop. As scheduled.
17-19 — Pickin’ In The Pines, Fort Tuthill County Park, Flagstaff, AZ. As scheduled.
23-26 — DelFest, Allegany County Fairgrounds, Cumberland, MD. As scheduled.
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER
September 28-October 2 — IBMA World Of Bluegrass, Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, NC. As scheduled.
OCTOBER
1-3 — Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. No announcement has been made about the 2021 festival.
13-19 — CBA Fall Campout, Lodi Grape Festival & Harvest Fairgrounds, Lodi. As scheduled.
21-24 — Hangtown Music Festival, El Dorado County Fairgrounds, Placerville. As scheduled.
NOVEMBER
5-7 — CBA South State 48 – Bluegrass by the Sea, Carlsbad By The Sea Hotel,
Carlsbad. As scheduled.
12-14 — Four Corner States Bluegrass Festival, Everett Bowman Arena, Wickenburg, AZ. As scheduled.
The Brookdale Bluegrass Festival will be held August 13-15, 2021 at the San Benito County Historical Park in Tres Pinos. This will be the next bluegrass festival for many NCBS members.
Peter Rowan & Laurie Lewis will headline this 3-day camping festival. There will be plenty of other bands, lots of camp jamming, and summer fun! Tickets are now on sale. Your friends will all be there!
This festival has been held in the spring at the park for the past 3 years. Note the new dates for this year. Presented by Brookdale Bluegrass and welcomed by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. Note: The NCBS Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival will return in August 2022.
Here is All You Need To Know To Go To The NCBS Gathering this Saturday, July 10 — or not if you have a condition that is affected by hot weather.
Fun, Music & Friends: This is a relaxed jam and picnic that will bring together bluegrass folks that haven’t had a chance to see each other in quite some time. Jamming will run all day beginning at 10:00am and ending at 5:00pm under the shade trees. Bluegrass friends will have plenty of time socialize.
Cost: FREE
Music Performances:
First Stage:
10:00am-Noon
Phil & Anne
Dave & Penny
Main Stage:
Noon-3:00pm
Noon — Hoot N Holler
(Tweener — Scared Of Bees)
1:00pm — Eric Burman & The Brookdale Bluegrass Band
(Tweener — Kim Elking, Lee Anne Welch, & Sonia Shell)
2:00 — The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers
After the main stage shuts down, jamming and relaxing will continue until 5:00pm, when the event will come to an end.
Food: Bring your own picnic, or the San Benito County Historical Society will be grilling sausages & hot dogs and the saloon will be serving soft drinks. You are welcome to bring any alcohol you would like.
What To Bring: You can travel light and enjoy the shady picnic areas (No 8 & 9) that NCBS has reserved. OR, you can bring your usual “day camp” festival equipment, such as a canopy, table, chairs, ice chest, etc. so you can relax in style. Regardless, everyone should bring a folding chair for use at the stages.
Address: San Benito County Historical Park, 8300 Airline Highway, Tres Pinos (7 miles south of Hollister.
Weather: Almost all of Northern California including Tres Pinos will be experiencing a heat wave. High 99, Low 64.
We look forward to seeing everyone!
The main stage will be the usual GOF stage, but it will face the historic village square, not the big field where we usually fly a shade cloth. There will be picnic tables and space for your folding chairs in the square. The main stage show will run Noon-3:00pm. There will be intimate ‘tweener sets between main stage acts. A small stage in the picnic area will have acoustic music between 10:00am and Noon.
Main Stage Schedule:
Noon — Hoot N Holler
(Tweener — Scared Of Bees)
1:00pm — Eric Burman & The Brookdale Bluegrass Band
(Tweener — Kim Elking, Lee Anne Welch, & Sonia Shell)
2:00 — The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers
(Additional morning bands will perform beginning at 10:00am.)
After the main stage shuts down, jamming and relaxing will continue until 5:00pm., when the event will come to an end.
You can bring your own food and drink or you can enjoy sausages and hot dogs from our friends in the San Benito County Historical Society. The Saloon will be serving up soft drinks. You are welcome to bring your own alcohol.
Finally! — Jamming all day, picnicking all day, socializing with your long-unseen bluegrass friends, and great bluegrass music on the stage!
Hope to see you there!
— Northern California Bluegrass Society
FREE Covid Vaccinations will be available for those who would like one at The NCBS Gathering this Saturday, July 10, 2021 at the San Benito County Historical Park, 8300 Airline Highway in Tres Pinos (7 miles south of Hollister).
The FREE gathering of bluegrass friends you haven’t seen in a while will begin at 10:00am and end at 5:00pm. The Main Stage will run Noon-3:00pm and there will be other morning performances as well.
The County of San Benito will run a vaccine clinic 11:00am-1:00pm. This will be a convenient opportunity to take care of your “vax” while you kick back and enjoy a good dose of bluegrass music!
Bring your own picnic or there will be food and soft drink for sale by the San Benito County Historical Society. No alcohol will be sold, but you can bring your own if you like.
There will be a full day of jamming! Enjoy!
There will be two summer events at the San Benito County Historical Park in Tres Pinos that Northern California Bluegrass Society members and their friends can enjoy.
SATURDAY, July 10
The NCBS Gathering — FREE — This is a chance to see your bluegrass friends that you haven’t seen in a while. Bring a picnic and jam with the folks all day. There will be three bands playing on the main stage, ‘tweeners, and more bands playing in the picnic area. If you like, you can bring your canopy, chairs, and a table or two and invite your friends to visit you. Or, you can simply bring yourself and your instruments and enjoy the park’s shade trees and picnic tables. If you don’t want to bring your own food and drink, our friends in the San Benito County Historical Society will be grilling sausages and hot dogs and serving soft drinks in the saloon. Bring a chair for the music and any alcohol you want. Your friends will all be there! Presented By The Northern California Bluegrass Society.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, August 13-15
The Brookdale Bluegrass Festival — Peter Rowan & Laurie Lewis will headline this 3-day camping festival. There will be plenty of other bands, lots of camp jamming, and summer fun! Tickets are now on sale. Your friends will all be there! This festival has been held in the spring at the park for the past 3 years. Note the new dates for this year. Presented by Brookdale Bluegrass and welcomed by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. (The NCBS Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival will return in August 2022.)
The NCBS Gathering will be held on Saturday, July 10, 2021 at the San Benito County Historical Park, 8300 Airline Highway in Tres Pinos, 7 miles south of Hollister. This is a FREE event.
This familiar venue has been the home of both the Northern California Bluegrass Society Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival and the Brookdale Bluegrass Festival for the past few years. What should you expect when you come to the new July 10 event?
You will enjoy the drive down to the lovely hamlet of Tres Pinos and then enter the San Benito County Historical Park. Beginning at 10:00am, there will be bluegrass music on several stages. You and your friends can set up your day camp with your usual chairs, tables, ice chests, and shade canopy, or you can rely on the park’s picnic tables and shade trees in the south end of the park, near the main stage. NCBS has reserved Picnic Areas 8 & 9. You can relax, picnic, and jam with your many friends who will visit you at your day camp.
The main stage will be the usual GOF stage, but it will face the historic village square, not the big field where we usually fly a shade cloth. There will be picnic tables and space for your folding chairs in the square. The main stage show will run Noon-3:00pm. There will be intimate ‘tweener sets between main stage acts. A small stage in the picnic area will have acoustic music between 10:00am and Noon.
After the main stage shuts down, jamming and relaxing will continue until 5:00pm.
If you decide not to bring your own food and drink, our friends with the San Benito County Historical Society will be serving grilled sausages and more and the Saloon will be serving the finest soft drinks.
This will be a fun, relaxed gathering of people that you haven’t seen in a while!
And remember…all of your friends will be there!
The Northern California Bluegrass Society presents the
Saturday, July 10, 2021 – 10:00am-5:00pm, San Benito County Historical Park, Tres Pinos. FREE!
All Day Jamming, Picnicking, Relaxing with Bluegrass Friends you haven’t seen
in a while, & Live Music Onstage. Live Main Stage Bands: Wildcat Mountain Ramblers, Eric Burman & The Brookdale Bluegrass Band, Hoot N Holler. Bring a picnic or the San Benito County Historical Society will sell food and soft drinks. No alcohol will be sold, but you can bring your own.
Music performances begin at 10:00am. Main Stage Bluegrass Concert Noon-3:00pm. Jamming ends at 5:00pm. Address: 8300 Airline Highway, Tres Pinos, CA.
We will have plenty of picnic tables or you can bring canopies, tables, &
chairs for jamming and socializing with your friends.
Happy 4th of July from your friends in the Northern California Bluegrass Society! See you on July 10 at the NCBS Gathering!
