NCBS Gathering Set For San Benito Historical Park In Tres Pinos On Saturday July 10 — FREE

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!

 

 

Upcoming Bluegrass Festivals Of Interest To Northern California Bluegrass Society Members and Fans

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.

NCBS Welcomes The Pick & Gather Festival Set For Memorial Day Weekend At Riverdance Farms in Livingston

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.

Performance Schedule:
SATURDAY, May 29
10:00am — BanjerDan Mazer
11:30 — What Cheer! (Cactus Bob and Prairie Flower with Pegleg Reza)
Mid afternoon —  Fiddlestix
Twilight dinner set to dusk — The Brookdale Bluegrass Band With Eric Burman 
SUNDAY, May 30
Brunch Music:
9:00am — Tim Lechuga — MahaShakti Music
10:30 — BanjerDan Mazer
11:30  (to mid afternoon close) — Patty Castillo-Davis and Friends
All Memorial Day Weekend (and again on June 4-6), farm and river activities will  include U-pick, hayrides, food vendors, other activities.
All visitors need to make appointments. Call or text to 209-761-0081 or email to riverdancefarms@gmail.com.
We will be following safety guidelines for this COVID 19 era.
Address: 12230 Livingston Cressey Road, Livingston, CA 95334 (the well-marked farm gate is a half-mile northeast towards Cressey).
What Cheer, the band, posed in front of What Cheer, the saloon in Columbia.

Carol Edmundson, NCBS Membership Chair & Board Member, Lifetime Member, Hot Rize & Sidesaddle Fan

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.

Carol Edmundson

 

Current Status Of Upcoming Bluegrass Events Of Interest To Northern California Fans As Of 5/25/21

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.

Helen Sweetland, NCBS Board Member & Highway One Musician, Publisher Of Sierra Club Books

Helen Sweetland of Half Moon Bay has died. She is a former member of the Northern California Bluegrass Society Board of Directors and a founder, singer, and bass player of the traditional bluegrass band Highway One, which performed frequently at the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival, at other NCBS/SCBS events, and at many other area festivals. She was the publisher of Sierra Club Books.

Her bandmates wrote this tribute:

We’re so, so sorry to confirm the passing of our much beloved, self-described “chick singer,” bass player, and chief of harmony police, Helen Sweetland, following a brief and brave fight with cancer. If we’re each put on the earth for just one purpose, Helen’s calling was to sing harmony!

The spark for our band was struck when Helen, Tom, and Scott first played together in a late-night jam session at Wolf Mountain in 1997; Highway One was officially launched in early 1998. That’s a long time ago in both bluegrass and dog years! We’ve all decided that there is NO Highway One without Helen, so 23 years will be it for us—BUT we hope to see all of you somewhere, someplace in the near future and sing some songs together (though we’ll, of course, be singing them WRONG). 

Helen recorded Hazel Dickens’ classic  “Won’t You Come and Sing For Me” on the first Highway One CD, and it was one of her signature songs, but she became too emotional to sing it on stage because it reminded her so much of her own mother’s passing. Here’s the first part:

—

I feel the shadows now upon me

See the angels beckoning me

Before I go dear sisters and brothers

Won’t you come and sing for me

Sing those hymns we sang together

In that plain little church with the benches all worn

How dear to my heart how precious the moments

We stood shaking hands and singing a song.

Then there’s the song by Bob Amos, called “Reunion,” that she discovered and brought to the band in the last few years. We never officially recorded it, but we performed it a lot:

There are songs that we play at the end of the day

And their sweet words and melodies tell

Of a wonderful time when old friends reunite

And never again say farewell

And I’ll meet you there, I will meet you there,

I will meet you there, my friends

I will meet you over the hills

In the land of our long journey’s end

And we’ll all be together again.

—

Sense a theme? You were all Helen’s cherished friends and community. And now, we hope, the words of those beautiful songs might remind you of her, as well….

— Highway One

Helen Sweetland performs with Highway One on KKUP Radio.

 

Online Lessons Directory Connects Teachers & Students On This Website

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>.

NCBS-Welcomed Brookdale Bluegrass Festival Returns To Its Namesake Location At The Brookdale Lodge

The NCBS-welcomed Brookdale Bluegrass Festival will return to its original and  namesake venue, the historic Brookdale Lodge in Brookdale. Note the new dates of August 13-15, 2021.

The Brookdale gathering will be held on the usual Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival dates. The beloved GOF event will not be held this year, but will return the second weekend of August in 2022.