Just got back from a weekend at Annandale MN for the Pioneer Park Pickers Festival. This is a very small gathering of musicians. Most of these folks are what we call pickers or jammers. Most of them are not performers. With few exceptions you will never see them on a stage. They play just for the love of playing. They start in small groups around 10 am and often are still going strong at 10 pm. The unique thing about this festival is that it is held in Pioneer Park, a small community park dedicated to preserving some of the areas history in the form of old buildings that would have otherwise long since been torn down. Pickers get in free - because they are essentially the entertainment. There are no stage shows. In fact there is no stage, nor sound system. It's all acoustic.. People from the area are then invited to come out and sit among the groups of players and enjoy the music, in much the same way it would have been enjoyed 100 years ago. (In fact you will hear some of the same songs!)
At the end, someone asked me if I would come back next year. Sure I would! It was a nice weekend, in a nice location making music with people who love the music as much as I do! Also, for camping, we had as much privacy as we wanted when we wanted it too. Annandale is a friendly small town with everything you need almost within walking distance. See you next year!
At the end, someone asked me if I would come back next year. Sure I would! It was a nice weekend, in a nice location making music with people who love the music as much as I do! Also, for camping, we had as much privacy as we wanted when we wanted it too. Annandale is a friendly small town with everything you need almost within walking distance. See you next year!