Black Bear Americana Music Festival 2021

By Ali Kaufman

Black Bear Fest is coming back to the Goshen Fairgrounds October 8th through the 10th over the Columbus Day Weekend. This will be their third year in existence and promises to be the best yet! Not sure how this fantastic gathering of over 35 bands on 4 stages with 3 days of camping in the beautiful Litchfield Hills ever escaped my radar, but now that I’ve found them, I won’t be easy to shake! I spoke to the festival’s founder, Beth Murphy, to get the scoop, and what I got was way more than details. I am in awe of Beth’s enthusiasm and conviction for bringing not only music and a good time to her guests but a true sense of community involvement. This is a festival with something for everyone, and they hope you will want to come see for yourself. After many years of being asked by friends to join in and go with them to Grey Fox, the long running festival in Oak Hill New York, Beth decided to give it a try, and the rest, as they say, is history. Beth became a fan of festivals. “We should put a festival on here! Goshen Fairgrounds is a great location, it will be so much fun!” She shares with a laugh the simplistic view she had back then. Maybe it is just as well that she came to this armed with more dream than reality because the truth of pulling together any event, let alone one of this magnitude is a daunting task. Armed with a dream and a mega-ton of determination, Beth got to work investigating and gathering all the information she could get, filling a storage bin full of her research over the next five years. While reaching out to companies and foundations for monetary support, Beth created a power-point presentation that she shared with trusted friends for their critique. Clearly, they thought it was terrific because those friends ended up being her first sponsors. Because of their belief in the project and in Beth, that first year 2018, the festival was held with no corporate support on a shoestring budget, but they jumped in up to their eyeballs and swam.

In 2016 Beth reached out to Ian Campbell, a local musician with a great reputation for booking acts. He was intrigued and interested enough to get on board. Next came Evan Dobos, a genius at graphic design who was also interested in being a part of this event and is responsible for their terrific website, bear logo, and all branding. The three of them went forward to get this grassroots effort off the ground. Their endeavor got a huge boost when Ian’s connection brought Power Station Events to the table where they pulled up a seat and became the fourth partner, thus cementing their team. Beth credits this giant production company based in Cheshire for upping their game. With clients like Travelers Championship and UCONN Athletics, they were in excellent hands. “They showed up with professional staging, lighting, even a Jumbotron! They upped our game right out of the gate,” Beth shared with gratitude in her voice.

Since that first year, there have been companies that have taken note of this festival, as you will see corporate sponsors like Pepsi in the program handout, but the organic feel and core values are still at the heart of this event. It is and always will be a labor of love. Another example of that love is how they welcome nonprofits to be a part of the weekend. Whether that means actually vending or just sharing information about their organization, Black Bear wants to give voice to the groups that might not otherwise have this kind of chance to reach the public face to face. NO fee is charged, anyone with a non-profit can connect with the organizers via their website to find out more. Part of the vision is to foster a community that reaches out to help one another. The Galleria of NonProfits is where you will find them grouped at the fairgrounds: land trusts, animal causes, art councils, and other worthwhile missions are given a platform that helps expand their audience.

Vendors are curated, quality is important. These organizers would rather have five great booths than ten just okay ones. Not to worry, they have found what they were looking for and at the last fest, they had well over a dozen food/drink vendors and nearly 10 booths selling art and crafts.

There are also “special events” listed in the program to check out, so you may wish to avail yourself of the chance to take a dance lesson or make a piece of art. You can also visit the Workshop Stage for more in-depth topics like a Songwriting Workshop or Working with an Agent, given by professionals in their fields. Roaming through the grounds you will see volunteers working to make the weekend go smoothly but you will also see something not often found at festivals. They call them "Ambassadors" and have that moniker printed on their shirts so they stand out. These are the actual partners and people responsible for your good time, and they want to connect. In real time, not by a survey sent weeks after, they will be looking to you to find out what you are loving about your experience as well as what you feel they can improve upon. “We want our guests to know who puts this fest together, and that we are here on site should they need anything or want to reach out. I try to meet as many people as possible,” Beth said.

The joyful noise that rises from the stages is brought to you by a plethora of bands that play a wide variety of music, everything from roots to rockabilly, folk to the blues.There are plenty of recognizable names like powerhouse pianist Victor Wainwright; Lara Herscovitch, former state troubadour, and Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root, all on the lineup this year, but it is the artists that are not widely known as yet that this festival showcases. Of this Beth said, "We

love having our headliners, but if we can give up and coming bands an opportunity to say to the world, I’m here!" that is the best feeling.” There are many bands to choose from as Black Bear has had to turn away over 150 applicants this year. Word has definitely gotten around, this is a fest musicians want to play. The full lineup is being added to as the event advances with announcements are made on social media and the website.

Attendance doubled from the first to second year, and the event organizers are hoping for a repeat this time around, to double again. It’s important to note in this time of Covid that all state guidelines will be followed. The Goshen Fairgrounds holds ten thousand people; their attendance has not come close to that number, so there will be plenty of room to spread out for as much social distancing as one could want.

Camping is another way Black Bear sets themselves apart. They did not want what they had seen at other festivals where the campers, especially RVs tend to line up days early to be the first in to get the spot they want. Black Bear has reserved spaces for RVs so you do not have to

scramble, neither do the tent campers. They are in a designated area so there is no reason for their first experience at the fest to be anything but orderly. Kids 16 and under are free, most fests charge for anyone over 10 if not younger, so this is another nice thing Black Bear does for families. Beth is a mom and realizes that families want to be together, but it can be cost-prohibitive. She also knows teens, thus free entrance for a kid you had to coax there helps keep the happy in the family weekend.

Beth and her team are focused on October 810, bringing the magic of live music to a space where for three days people can come together and enjoy the gift of connecting. If you are looking to expand your horizons, Black Bear Festival may just be the ticket!

For all details on lineup, camping, tickets, and ways to get involved please visit Blackbearmusicfest.com You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram for up-to-date postings, and I will see you on the radio! Morning Mojo WCNI 90.9FM or wcniradio.org