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Submitted by Washington Acoustic Music Association

Music fans will be returning to beautiful Winolequa Park, just outside the city of Winlock, on the first weekend in August for the 20th annual Pickersfest Music Festival. The festival, which started in Ryderwood in 1985, gets officially started on Friday, August 5 and runs through Sunday morning August 7. Campers and music jam fans will start showing up on Thursday afternoon, August 4.

The three-day music event will feature acoustic music including bluegrass, gypsy jazz, Americana and much more! The headliners performing both Friday and Saturday afternoon and evening include:

  • Pearl Django – a long-time gypsy jazz band from Tacoma, with a performance history spanning 27 years and 15 CDs, they endure as one of the most highly regarded Hot Club groups working today.
  • The Portland Radio Ponies – a bluegrass collective featuring a rotating cast of Portland’s finest pickers!
  • String Theory – a bluegrass group made up of some Northwest veterans and newbies, including Clayton Hess and Kent Powell.
  • Sunny South – steeped in tradition and focused on vocal harmonies, this is an acoustic quartet that entertains in true bluegrass style.
  • Choroloco – an acoustic trio of Seattle musicians brought together by their love of Brazilian music.

Attendees will be able to participate in jams of Celtic music, Old-Time music and Swing music. There will also be a slow jam for beginners and up to participate in on Saturday. The festival features workshops on guitar, mandolin, bass, fiddle and banjo taught by members of the headlining bands, all for no additional charge!  And there will be open mic opportunities Saturday afternoon.

Camping is only $10 per night and there will be multiple opportunities to participate in jam sessions during the day and into the night!

Food is available at the festival, prepared by and supporting the Winlock Youth Baseball organization, starting at noon Friday through breakfast on Sunday morning.

Note: Winolequa Park only has a few picnic tables near the stage. We suggest you bring your own comfortable lawn chairs for seating.

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