Our Founders,
Randy and Heather Kennedy
Our Team North Branch Mascot
The North Branch Story
Nearly a decade ago, on a rainy day in Bridgewater, Randy and I decided to go for a drive. The skies cleared as we drove west over Mendon Pass. By the time we headed north on Route 7, the sun was out. It was a beautiful day. As we drove along in Brandon, we came upon a blue sign that said "Bluegrass Festival". We decided to check it out. What a surprise we found. Bluegrass Festivals had done an "about face" from those of our college years. There were no hordes of drunken festival goers stumbling about, no littered grounds, no overflowing porta-potties. There was none of the chaos that overshadowed the true reason for a festival............the music. Instead of a party, what Randy and I found that day was more like an all day outdoor concert....family picnic style. Everyone was polite, patient, courteous, and most of all........genuinely happy. We were hooked. The people we met were wonderful. Randy began saying things like "Wouldn't it be great if we had something like this in Bridgewater?"
So, that's how the seed for North Branch Bluegrass Festival was first planted. The more days we spent relaxing in our camping chairs soaking up picturesque beauty all over New England (while watching phenomenal musicians), the more that seed grew. A few years later, at the Lake Champlain Music Festival, we shyly introduced ourselves to the members of the New England Bluegrass Band who were field picking up by the stage after the show. They were great. I know we're a little old to be groupies but we just couldn't help ourselves. That's what bluegrass festivals do to you. Everyone who behaves like a genuine human being is genuinely welcome. Everyone who acts like a real jerk is calmly escorted off the property....really bad jerks get escorted into police cruisers....problem solved........now, let's get back to the music.
We've modeled The North Branch Bluegrass Festival after the Basin Bluegrass Festival we found that day and a small one day festival that happens every spring up north in Belvidere, VT. The Rattling Brook Bluegrass Festival is a fundraiser that helps pay the property taxes for a small privately-owned community club. They have a ball field, pavillion,stage, and snack shack. Members of the Big Spike Bluegrass Band were instrumental (no pun intended) in starting Rattling Brook and gave us a lot of good advice. In point of fact, literally everyone in the northeast bluegrass festival world that we have encountered has welcomed us into the fold. We continue to make new friends every time we go listen to bluegrass music anywhere.
So, many years and countless bluegrass festivals later, here we find ourselves as Festival Directors of our own event. Some days, it's hard to believe that Randy's dream (now mine, too) is coming true. We've tried to shape the North Branch Bluegrass Festival to fit our longtime dreams for a Bridgewater community event. We look forward to spending a happy day with our neighbors doing something just for the true joy of it. Bluegrass Festivals aren't cheap to put on but we feel a real want to keep our festival affordable and simple to understand. If you want to smoke a cigarette or shoot the bull with your neighbor, you can still hear the music from the smoking area without bothering anybody. If you're curious about playing an instrument someday, there's regional music shops who've come to meet you. If you already play, there are free workshops put on by the bands that will welcome you to sit in. If you just want to pay to get in, park your lawn chair, read a book, knit,draw, or even play checkers with a friend...and be left alone........please be our guest. All we ask is that everyone be respectful of one another. The primary rule of our festival is:"If your good time is getting in the way of your neighbor's good time, you're probably being too loud and you need to dial it down".
A final word on alcohol use. The North Branch Bluegrass Festival is not an "alcohol-free" event nor is it a "free-alcohol" event. No alcohol will be sold on the festival grounds. We're allowing folks to brown bag refreshments at their own risk but will not tolerate open displays of alcohol and no excessive drinking. This is a courtesy extended only to adults of legal drinking age. Our policy this year will be: "Absolutely No Underage Drinking, No Drunks, No Drugs, ..........No Exceptions....and No Refunds" If this setup doesn't work this year and we do the festival again, we'll have to ban alcohol.
The bands that we've hired also support themselves by selling Cd's of their music which is alway a good value. They're being very generous to us all with their time and efforts and we hope that folks will show their appreciation.
So, that's what we're up to. We hope you're looking forward to this as much as we are. Our festival site is upstream from Route 4 along the beautiful North Branch section of the Ottaquechee River in Bridgewater Center,VT. Bring your lawn chairs, instruments, sunscreen, rain ponchos, a dependable flashlight, warm layers, pocket money, etc...and join us Friday September 3, 2010. Gates open at 9:00 AM.
Heather and Randy Kennedy
Festival Co-Directors
North Branch Bluegrass Festival