Berryville, VA. Watermelon Park has been a home to live, traditional, bluegrass, and country music since the 1940s. Its stage has graced the likes of The Carter Family, Bill Monroe, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and The Stanley Brothers, to name but a few in a long, nostalgic list. Thousands of music enthusiasts drove from all over the country to listen to the acts on stage, and to take part in the music played in the campground. Ask and you will find that nearly every traditional/bluegrass musician that has been in the business awhile has a story about learning, meeting, playing, or being inspired at Watermelon Park. This first era of annual festivals, hosted by John Miller, Sr., ended in the late seventies.
In 2004, three local musicians, David VanDeventer, Frazer Watkins, and Dwayne Brooke, along with the current owner of Watermelon Park, John Miller, Jr. combined efforts to bring a yearly music festival back to the park. With the new era of music at the park, their hope is to rekindle the spirit once created there, while welcoming a new generation to take part in their musical heritage.
This years festival, to be held on September 20th, 21st, and 22nd, and will include The Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet, Darrell Scott, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Furnace Mountain, The Woodshedders, The North Carolina Chocolate Drops, James Leva and Purgatory Mountain, The Hunger Mountain Boys, The Speakeasy Boys, Danny Knicely and Friends, and many more. Also featured will be a series of free workshops conducted by the artists themselves, a Cajun Dance, and a Old-time Dance. Performers, Instructors, and schedules will be posted and advertised as the event planning continues.
In keeping with traditional bluegrass culture, the festival will also be hosting a band contest on Thursday evening, followed by some great TBA local talent. There will also be the regular guitar and mandolin “Pickin’ Contest,†on Saturday, the 22nd. Contestants will play their own selection of a traditional instrumental and have a chance to win, among other TBA cash and prizes, a handmade Fairbuilt Guitar (donated by local luthier Martin Fair) and a brand new, sponsored by Weber, Bitterroot Mandolin. They then get to showcase their skills and new instruments in an impromptu performance together on stage during the concert.
Because Watermelon Park Fest attracts so many musicians, “pickin’ circles†and jam sessions of all types and sizes spark up naturally throughout the grounds. WPF will encourage and facilitate these with the provision of straw bales, tents, and jam leaders to get everyone going. As the festival organizers are also musicians, performers, and music instructors, they have a grand respect for these traditions, and receive much joy in being part of their perpetuity.
Stay tuned to this MySpace or visit www.watermelonparkfest.com for continued updates and information.
