Northern California Bluegrass Musicians who have signed up to be listed in the NCBS Directory are available to give Online Lessons.
Interested students can check the directory and arrange lessons with their favorite musicians (the price is between teacher and student).
The convenient Directory is listed under Resources in the index on the left side of this website. Musicians can sign up to offer lessons at <webmaster@ncbs.us>.
June Reminder: The NCBS Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival in Tres Pinos has been cancelled due to the ongoing Coronavirus Crisis. The festival, which was originally planned for August 12-15, 2021, will return in 2022.
If you are shopping on Amazon, you can support local bluegrass music. Use this link: smile.amazon.com/ch/94-2907716 (“Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society”) and AmazonSmile will donate to the Northern California Bluegrass Society/Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society. Thanks for your support!
Brookdale Bluegrass has announced that Laurie Lewis and Peter Rowan will headline the August 13-15 Brookdale Bluegrass Festival at the Brookdale Lodge in Brookdale. The Northern California Bluegrass Society welcomes this event to our area. More bands will be added to the line-up.
The Northern California Bluegrass Society will bring bluegrass friends together after months of being apart at the NCBS Gathering at the San Benito County Historical Park in Tres Pinos on Saturday, July 10, 2021.
There will be bluegrass music onstage, jamming all around, picnicking, And Remember — All Of Your Friends Will Be There.
This is a FREE event.
At the same time and place, our friends at the San Benito County Historical Society will hold a Barn Sale, with historical artifacts for sale, plus artisans, artists, and food all around the park. Tours of the Historical Village will be available.
Planning for this unique, fun, relaxed event where we can all gather once again is now underway. More information will be announced soon!
Here are the upcoming bluegrass festivals of interest to Northern California Bluegrass Society Members and fans May-November, 2021 :
MAY
29-30 — Pick & Gather, Riverdance Farms, Livingston (NCBS welcomed).
JUNE
11-13 — Telluride Bluegrass Festival (Week 1), Telluride, CO.
18-20 — Telluride Bluegrass Festival (Week 2), Telluride, CO.
25-27 — Susanville Bluegrass Festival, Lassen County Fairgrounds, Susanville.
JULY
9-11 — Lost River Bluegrass Festival, Community Center Park, Merrill, OR.
10 — NCBS Gathering & SBCHS Barn Sale, San Benito County Historical Park, Tres Pinos.
23-25 — Rockygrass Bluegrass Festival, Planet Bluegrass Ranch, Lyons, CO.
AUGUST
1 — Jerry Garcia Day, McLaren Park, San Francisco. As scheduled.
13-15 — Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, Brookdale Lodge, Brookdale (NCBS welcomed). This event is at the original Brookdale Lodge location. The NCBS Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival that is usually held on this weekend has been cancelled and will return in 2022.
13-15 — Mt. St. Helens Bluegrass Festival, Olsen Park, Toledo, WA.
19-22 — Bower’s Mansion Bluegrass Festival, Bower’s Mansion Regional Park, Carson City, NV.
20-22 — Summergrass San Diego, Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, Vista.
SEPTEMBER
3-5 — Plumas Homegrown Americana Festival, Plumas County Fairgrounds, Quincy (NCBS welcomed).
3-5 — Four Corners Folk Festival, Reservoir Hill Park, Pagoa Springs, CO.
17-19 — McCloud Mountain Bluegrass Festival, Hoo Hoo Park, McCloud.
17-19 — Millpond Music Festival, Millpond Recreation Area, Bishop. Planned. The decision about the 2021 event will be made on June 1.
17-19 — Pickin’ In The Pines, Fort Tuthill County Park, Flagstaff, AZ.
September 28-October 2 — IBMA World Of Bluegrass, Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, NC. This virtual event may also be in person (NCBS welcomed).
OCTOBER
1-3 — Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.
NOVEMBER
12-14 — Four Corner States Bluegrass Festival, Everett Bowman Arena, Wickenburg, AZ.
The Northern California Bluegrass Society welcomes the FREE Pick & Gather Festival at Riverdance Farms, Livingston (near Merced) on Memorial Day Weekend. The long-running festival is presented by Cindy Lashbrook, the farmer of organic Riverdance Farms.
The 2021 U-Pick weekend has grown organically into a near festival line up with music on Saturday May 29 and Sunday May 30. The event offers U-pick organic Blueberries, Cherries, Strawberries, and (new) Lavender at wholesale prices.
Admission during the day is free (donations accepted). Campsites, in the walnut orchard, near the river access, will be available. Cost is $25 per night, and $40 for both Friday & Saturday nights. Jammers are welcome! No individual campfires are allowed. Tents and small camp trailers are preferred, but there are a few sites for RVs.
Gates are open each day 9:00am-9:00pm.
Carol Edmundson of Sunnyvale, who served as NCBS Membership Chair and as a member of the Board Of Directors during the Society’s most intense period of growth and development (1994-1999), has died. She was a Lifetime Member of the NCBS/SCBS. The cause of death was complications after leg surgery. She was 72 years old.
She was retired after a long career at Hewlett Packard Company in Palo Alto and Cupertino. She lived for many years on Carol Avenue in Mountain View with her husband, NCBS Treasurer Bruce Edmundson. The couple had retired to nearby Sunnyvale.
Carol and Bruce were longtime California bluegrass music supporters who volunteered their time for a number of organizations, including Redwood Bluegrass Associates, the International Bluegrass Music Association, and the Northern California Bluegrass Society/Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society. The couple often worked at the Society’s Information Booth at festivals and concerts.
Carol’s favorite bluegrass bands were Hot Rize and Sidesaddle. She was also a fan of Hawaiian slack key guitar music and enjoyed square dancing. She was active in her church.
Carol Edmundson is survived by her husband, mother, and brother, and by identical twins Chad and Devin Schaumburg of Bangor, Maine, whom she raised and considered her sons.
Here is the current status of bluegrass events of interest to Northern California bluegrass fans as of May 25, 2021. Many events will have limited attendance.
This guide will be updated as new information becomes available.
MAY
27-31 — Strawberry Spring Music Festival, Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley. Postponed to 2022.
29-30 — Pick & Gather, Riverdance Farms, Livingston (NCBS welcomed). As scheduled.
JUNE
11-13 — Telluride Bluegrass Festival (Week 1), Telluride, CO. As scheduled.
17-20 — CBA Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival, Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley. Cancelled, will return in 2022.
17-20 — Telluride Bluegrass Festival (Week 2), Telluride, CO. As scheduled.
25-27 — Susanville Bluegrass Festival, Lassen County Fairgrounds, Susanville. As scheduled.
25-27 — Kate Wolf Music Festival, Black Oak Ranch, Laytonville. Cancelled. 25th and final festival will be held in 2022.
JULY
1-4 — High Sierra Music Festival, Plumas County Fairgrounds, Quincy. Postponed to 2022.
9-11 — Lost River Bluegrass Festival, Community Center Park, Merrill, OR. As scheduled.
10 — NCBS Gathering & SBCHS Barn Sale, San Benito County Historical Park, Tres Pinos. As scheduled.
15-17 — Redwood 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, Brookdale Lodge, Brookdale (NCBS welcomed). Note: Original Brookdale Lodge 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 — Four Corners Folk Festival, Reservoir Hill Park, Pagoa 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. Planned. The decision about the 2021 event will be made on June 1.
17-19 — Pickin’ In The Pines, Fort Tuthill County Park, Flagstaff, AZ. As scheduled.
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER
September 28-October 2 — IBMA World Of Bluegrass, Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, NC. As scheduled, virtual (maybe also in person).
OCTOBER
1-3 — Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. As scheduled.
NOVEMBER
12-14 — Four Corner States Bluegrass Festival, Everett Bowman Arena, Wickenburg, AZ. As scheduled.
The Northern California Bluegrass Society will present a fun live bluegrass music event on Saturday, July 10, 2021 at the San Benito County Historical Park in Tres Pinos. More information will be available soon.
