Guitarist Stephen Bennett headlines this weekend’s Pickers’ Festival in Winlock.
Strings are king for the weekend in South Lewis County when the Winlock Pickers’ Festival starts Friday.
Concentrating mainly on stringed instruments from the guitar and dobro to the fiddle and mandolin, event organizers expect hundreds to fill Winolequa Park throughout the weekend to partake in musical performances and workshops on how to hone one’s craft.
“We get groups from Portland and a variety of local groups,” Marv Sobolesky, president of the Winlock Acoustic Music Association, said. “It’s been getting bigger the past few years.”
The Winlock Acoustic Music Association, or WAMA, organizes the event, which began as a bluegrass festival in Ryderwood in the mid-1980s. The event moved up the road, so to speak, to Winolequa Park where it has had a home since 2000, and keeps its focus primarily on stringed instruments.
This year’s Pickers’ Festival brings harp guitarist Stephen Bennett and bands Wayward Vessel, SugarPine, The Great Northern Planes and CowChips to the park for some tunes that Sobolesky says should enthrall acoustic music aficionados.
“Stephen Bennett is going to be one of the best shows we’ve had,” Sobolesky said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of music you like — he’s just phenomenal.”
Saturday’s schedule includes six workshops, each from 9 to 10 a.m. Those workshops bring professional musicians together with students who want to learn more about stringed instruments such as the guitar, dobro, fiddle, banjo, mandolin and bass. Two final shows on Sunday will focus on gospel-themed music.
The festival has brought people from all across the United States, Sobolesky said. The festival tallied 504 paid admissions last year, doubling its attendance in just the past three years alone.
“We have people that come from Tennessee, Alaska and California,” Sobolesky said. “A lot of people show up and they’re really impressed with all the music.”
Tickets for the Winlock Pickers’ Fest are $10 per day, available for purchase at Winolequa Park. Children 12 and under get in for free, and WAMA members are admitted for $7. There is no admission charge Sunday.
For more information on the festival, visit www.winlockpickersfest.com.
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Christopher Brewer: (360) 807-8235
