18th annual Pocono Mountains Bluegrass Festival held in Newfoundland
From June 20 to 22, the 18th annual Pocono Mountains Bluegrass Festival was held in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, at the GDS fairgrounds. Roughly 150 people were in attendance at the kickoff on Friday, June 20, with more expected for Saturday, typically the festival’s busiest day.
The fairgrounds offer a spacious and scenic location for the festival, providing ample room for festival-goers to set up their tents and RVs and camp out for the weekend. Many retirees enjoy spending their leisure time traveling to such events all across the Northeastern US. But the fun isn’t limited to a specific age group — young people are encouraged to attend and discover the music as well.
The GDS fairgrounds offer one of the only covered stages in the area for such events, allowing the bands to play, rain or shine. Bands performed throughout the weekend, performing 55 minute sets every hour on the hour. Acts included Scott Eager & High Lonesome Sound, Homespun Bluegrass, Chester Johnson, and Remington Ryde.
On Friday, a midnight Camp Jam contest was held, with the winner being awarded the privilege of performing on stage the next day. Judges circled the campgrounds listening to performances and selected their favorite band. Throughout the night, campers played an assortment of instruments in pickin’ areas, including banjos, guitars, fiddles, and mandolins.
Next year’s festival will be held June 26 to 28. For more information, visit www.poconosbluegrassfestival.com.
