Pickin’ In The Pasture Bluegrass Music Festival

Imagine, you come off the 4 lane and drive down a country road through the beautiful Finger Lakes past farms, vineyards, and forests. You arrive at Pickin’ In The Pasture Bluegrass Festival outside of the little town of Lodi in the southern end of Seneca County. There are sheep grazing in a paddock overlooking Seneca Lake. The first band is already playing on stage as you set up your lawn chairs and cooler in the shade of one of the audience tents. As the afternoon progresses, it becomes very apparent that you are listening to world-class bluegrass music performed by many of the top musicians in the country. The crowd responds to the bands with applause and hoots of approval when a particularly hot solo is taken or the band nails a tight 3 part harmony. You get up to stretch your legs and wander into the campground and discover a half dozen informal jam sessions made up of extremely talented pickers that come from as far away as Canada and below the Mason Dixon line. You stroll back to the stage area stopping for a barbeque dinner at one of the food vendors and relax for an evening of professional bluegrass entertainment.The 18th annual Pickin’ In The Pasture will be held at the Alexander’s sheep farm outside of Lodi NY August 20-23 2015. The gates open for camping on Wednesday, August 19th with the stage show starting at 12:00 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. There will also be a church service and gospel music on Sunday morning. The event features some of the best of bluegrass music with bands traveling in from Colorado, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. A few bands from the northeast will also be performing. There is a big jam scene in the campground that goes on throughout the weekend often into the early morning hours. The festival has become a gathering place for many musicians from across the northeast and Canada to share their music with old and new friends. There are food vendors on site and festival goers may also bring their own picnics. No alcoholic beverages are sold but people are welcome to bring their own however inappropriate behavior is not tolerated.“The most magical thing about Pickin’ In The Pasture is the uplifting spirit of those that attend” says Susan Alexander whose family produces the festival. People who meet here at the event often become friends for a lifetime. Four days each year the farm becomes a bluegrass community where the focus is on having responsible fun. For more information about the event and tickets visit www.pickininthepasture.com or email [email protected] or call (607) 582-6363.