Watermelon Pickers Festival

Schedule:

Showers are available at the Chet Hobart Park from 9:00 a.m - 7:00 p.m

10:00 a.m - 11:00 a.m: Yoga with Anna Billman
Start your morning with a relaxing yoga session, energized for a great day of music.

11:00 a.m - 11:45 a.m: 2-Step Honky Tonk Dance Workshop with Becky Hill
Get ready for Melissa Wright’s Honky Tonk Revue with a 2-step dance workshop led by Becky Hill. You’ll be 2-stepping away at the Honky Tonk Revue.

11:00 a.m - 11:45 a.m: Watermelon T-Shirt Tie Dye
Bring your T-shirt (or hat, socks, handkerchief, and so on) for what has become a time-honored tradition at the Watermelon Pickers’ Fest. Decorate your own T-shirt with Sharpie tie-dye and proudly wear it at the fest. Limited t-shirts available for fest attendees aged 12 and younger.

11:30 a.m - 12:15 p.m: Wyatt Ellis
Listen to Wyatt Ellis and learn about his musical journey in an intimate workshop performance.

12:00 p.m - 12:45 p.m: Recycled Instruments and Masks
Bring your empty water bottles, paper rolls, and clean recyclables to repurpose and re-use. Make your own creative instrument or Mardi-Gras mask to use in the festival parade. We are welcoming donations of clean recyclables, including water bottles, cereal boxes, tissue boxes, and paper towel rolls. Donations of craft supplies and materials are also welcome. Drop off donations with a volunteer at the .

12:30 p.m - 2:00 p.m: Band Contest
The band contest is one of the primary ways we check out new bands to hire for future events. Show off for the audience, the judges, and the programming committee. And most importantly, join in the fun. Past band contest winners include a mix of established bands and pickers who met at a workshop or while picking around the campfire at the fest. From campfire to , you never know who might win.

1:00 p.m - 1:45 p.m: Parachutes and Piñatas
Have fun playing parachute games and celebrating the fest with a piñata full of musical surprises.

2:00 p.m - 2:45 p.m: Honky Tonk Revue
Two-step into the heart of Americana with the Saturday afternoon Honky-Tonk Revue. Featuring honky tonk and classic country tunes performed by Melissa Wright, Riley Kerns (Low Water Bridge Band), Lillian Hackett, Dwayne Brooke (The Woodshedders), Will Spaulding (The Woodshedders), Randy Thompson, and a two-step workshop by Becky Hill. Steeped in nostalgia as vibrant as a neon sign, bring along your dancing shoes and a partner and we’ll see you at the .

2:00 p.m - 2:15 p.m: Festival Parade
Bring your masks and instruments for a fun parade around the festival grounds. Join the fun and celebrate. Gather for the parade at 1:45, and we’ll start marching at 2:00.

3:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m: Wyatt Ellis
In October 2022, Wyatt performed alongside former Bluegrass Boy Peter Rowan and Grammy winner Molly Tuttle at Rowan’s induction into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Wyatt was invited by his ultimate mandolin hero, Marty Stuart, to help kick off the Grand-Reopening of the Ellis Theater in Philadelphia, Mississippi. In February 2023, at 13 years old, he made his Grand Ole Opry debut appearance with bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent.

4:00 p.m - 4:30 p.m: Band Contest Winners
Enjoy a performance from the 2024 band contest winners.

4:45 p.m - 5:45 p.m: Carsie Blanton
Carsie Blanton is a songwriter with hooks, chutzpah, and revolutionary optimism. Inspired by artist-activists including Nina Simone and Woody Guthrie, her catalog careens through American popular song from folk and swing to pop-punk protest anthems.

5:45 p.m - 6:30 p.m: The Plate Scrapers
Born from the tradition of Bluegrass jams and potlucks, The Plate Scrapers - Derek Kretzer (banjo), Andrew Jordan (guitar), Robbie Mann (fiddle), Jody Mosser (dobro), and Kevin Johnson (bass) have been putting in the work and showcasing their love for the genre since 2014.

6:30 p.m - 7:45 p.m: Della Mae
Della Mae is a GRAMMY-nominated, all-women string band made up of founder and fiddle player Kimber Ludiker, lead vocalist/guitarist Celia Woodsmith, guitarist Avril Smith, and bassist Vickie Vaughn.

7:45 p.m - 8:30 p.m: Carsie Blanton
Carsie Blanton is a songwriter with hooks, chutzpah, and revolutionary optimism. Inspired by artist-activists including Nina Simone and Woody Guthrie, her catalog careens through American popular song from folk and swing to pop-punk protest anthems.

8:30 p.m - 10:00 p.m: Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band
The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band consists of outstanding musicians with over 100 years of combined recording and performance experience. Joining guitarist Peter Rowan are Chris Henry (mandolin and vocals), Max Wareham (banjo and vocals), Julian Pinelli (fiddle) and Eric Thorin (bass).

10:00 p.m - 11:30 p.m: Low Water Bridge Band
There’s a sound the Shenandoah River makes as it rumbles over old stones in the shallows. It sings songs the way they used to be – plain and honest. No frills, buckle that belt before you head to the hills and hollers. It’s there under a Virginia moon that you’ll find the Low Water Bridge Band.

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