Three days, four stages and 40 bands at the beautiful Natural Chimneys Park and Campground in Mt Solon, VA, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.Over on the Kinfolk Stage, you’ll find great music, dancing and awesome presentations for the children. There are TONS of playgrounds and games and activities for them to do while you enjoy the music.
Red Wing Academy is open to non-beginner violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, mandolin and banjo students ages 5 – 19. Students will receive individual and group instruction from highly trained music teachers and will also be coached by members of The Steel Wheels throughout the week. Daily curriculum will include group classes, mini lessons, improv and jam sessions, technique and tone development, stage performance, electives, recreation, panel discussions, showcases, and more. Each day will close with a camp wide rehearsal to practice for Red Wing performance.
Throughout the 4-day workshop, students will learn several tunes to perform collectively. On Friday, July 13, 2018 the Academy experience will culminate at Red Wing Roots Music Festival with a live, on-stage performance with The Steel Wheels.
Scholarship opportunities are available for qualifying students. Admission to the festival and a T-shirt are included for participants.
Detailed schedule and class descriptions will be announced this spring!
Registration deadline: May 25 (late registrations will be accepted on a space-available basis) Refunds cannot be given after the registration deadline.
Email academy@redwingroots.com or call 540-588-0332 for more information or to inquire about overnight accommodations on campus if you are traveling from out of town.
Red Wing Academy Volunteer and Sponsorship opportunities are available in exchange for passes to Red Wing Roots Music Festival and other perks. You may also order additional T-shirts for family and friends! Please also consider donating to Red Wing Academy’s scholarship fund. Stay updated at www.redwingroots.com/academy and on facebook!
LIVE OAK, FL — Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park is excited to announce the addition of Vassar Sunday to the Suwannee Spring Reunion which takes place on March 23-26, at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) in Live Oak, Florida. The full schedule of events is now up at www.suwanneespringreunion.com/schedule.html. Along with incredible music, expect camp pickin’ parties, wonderful food and crafts, and enjoy SOSMP’s many other attractions including disc golf, miles of hiking and biking trails, the bat house, and the chance to venture Way Down Upon The Suwannee River.
Music starts at 2 p.m. Thursday and Donna the Buffalo holds the headlining slot at 8 p.m. on The Amphitheatre Stage, followed by the Grass Is Dead. Other sets that day on both the Amphitheater and Porch stages include Joe Craven, Turtle Duhks, The Applebutter Express, Grandpa’s Cough Medicine, Bobby Miller & Virginia Daredevils, and Flea Market Hustlers on Amphitheatre and Porch Stages.
On Friday folks can bounce between those two stages for a sensory feast of music which includes Jerry Douglas Presents Earls of Leicester, Peter Rowan, Jim Lauderdale, Jeff Mosier with Pickled Holler, Ralph Roddenbery & the B-Sides, Verlon Thompson, and another set by Donna the Buffalo. There will also be a special set called the Craven Rum Jam which includes Joe Craven and Hot Buttered Rum’s Erik Yates, Zeb Bowles, and James Stafford closing out the Porch Stage for the night.
Saturday holds lots of room for some magical musical moments with Sara Watkins, Peter Rowan Band, two sets with Hot Buttered Rum, Jeff Mosier with Pickled Holler, Jim Lauderdale, Verlon Thompson, Turtle Duhks, two sets with Tornado Rider, and more.
Workshops and performances will also be going on all day in the Music Hall and on the Music Farmer’s Stage on Friday and Saturday with appearances by Peter Rowen, Verlon Thompson, Joe Craven, Jim Lauderdale, Josh Daniel/Mark Schimick Project, Whetherman, Nikki Talley & Jason Sharp, Lon and Lis Williamson, The Applebutter Express and more. All the kids can get really excited too because Tania & the Magic Moon Traveling Circus and Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp will be providing a weekend to remember with kids’ activities and shows. (Children 12 and under are free if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.)
Sunday is Vassar Day, a day of remembrance for all the festival family no longer with us, and for this reunion it is also fun day, a more relaxed day to visit our friends and family and enjoy the beautiful campground. Vassar Clements was a regular at the Spirit of Suwannee performing at every spring and fall event at Spirit of Suwannee until his passing in 2005. Not only was he a legend in his own time, he also became a dear friend to many at the festivals because of his cheer, friendliness, and non-stop pickin’. After his passing, Sundays became the day of remembrance to celebrate Vassar’s life as well as those of other loved ones who passed over.
The Sunday schedule includes special activities in the morning, music on the Porch Stage from 10-2 p.m. Tania & The Magic Moon Traveling Circus Kids open the stage in the morning, followed by Rushadicus and Friends (Tornado Rider) and what is sure to be a memorable Vassar Gospel Jam hosted by “Rev” Jeff Mosier and the Spring Reunion Backsliders Porchestra.
Sunday is also host to art project for roots in the afternoon, a morning permaculture workshop called “Transforming Spaces for Health Food & Living” in the Butterfly Garden, as well as scheduled jams in the campground late afternoon & evening at the Bill Monroe Shrine, Slopryland, and throughout SOSMP. Camping Sunday night is included.
Festival Director Beth Judy says, “I am so excited about Suwannee Spring Reunion. To me, when spring is in the air, it is a very special time of year to gather with friends and family. This festival is truly a reunion; we have artists coming together who have been at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in different incarnations many times over the years, so much they are family. It’s a coming home too for many friends, family, and chosen family joining together to celebrate life love & music under the oaks.”
Suwannee Spring Reunion is offering a multi-day ticket that includes festival admission as well as primitive camping Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park is located between Jacksonville, Florida & Tallahassee, Florida about 30 minutes south of the Georgia state line, about 45 minutes north of Gainesville and is host to a variety of events.
For four days in March, you can slip your shoes off and dance under the bright blue vistas and star-studded skies. Wander the endless trails along the Suwannee River, tell stories around the crackling campfire or simply lie back and watch the Spanish moss that drapes the sheltering Live Oaks that sway in the breeze. Dance the days away at the Stages and while away the late night hours around the “Picking Parties” that spring up into the dawn’s early light. There are no wrong choices when you arrive at your home and the place where live music lives for the founding of a new tradition, built on the love of the past, the Suwannee Spring Reunion.
