Pickin' In The Pasture is held on a working sheep farm. The gentle rolling pastures become the festival grounds. The creature comforts are well provided at Pickin' In The Pasture. There are plenty of relatively level camping sites on well laid out roadways for RVs as well as tents. Porta-johns are well distributed throughout the grounds. Water and solar showers are available. Ice is delivered through the campground. There are several rain or shine audience tents in the stage area. A shuttle service transports fans between the stage and their campsites. The gate will open by noon on Wednesday for free camping to those purchasing 4-day weekend tickets. Tired campers are welcome to stay over Sunday night after the festival.

A wide variety of good reasonably priced foods are served on site. In the past food items have included chicken barbeque, prime rib, lamb, hot dogs, hamburgers, Italian Sausage, smoked pulled pork, Jamaican jerk chicken, ice cream, a breakfast menu, etc. Coolers are allowed in the stage area but inappropriate behavior is not.

Pickin' In The Pasture's reputation as a great place to jam continues to spread. Every year we are amazed at the caliber of musicians in the campground. There is plenty of opportunity to jam for all levels of players from friendly beginner circles to hot late night sessions that will stimulate even seasoned professionals.

Take advantage of the free masters workshops where you can interact with some of the top bluegrass musicians in the country. The emphasis is on instruction rather than a mini-concert, so come prepared with some questions that you would like to have covered by the artists.

Pickin' In The Pasture offers entertainment for children as well as adults. There is a magician and storytellers and lots of space for kids to run and play on the sheep farm.

Young people who have started playing or singing bluegrass music need to check out the Pasture Kids Bluegrass Program. This program offers an opportunity for kids to get together with their peers and receive instruction on playing in a group. The program is under the direction of Ron Feinberg. As a climax to the experience, participants will perform material that they have worked up over the weekend on the main stage. Many audience members commented that The Pasture Kids performance was one of the highlights of the festival. If you have children or grandchildren who could benefit from this activity please contact us prior to the event so that we can better plan the program.

For more information or to receive a free festival brochure, contact us at alex11@empacc.net. We look forward to seeing you at Pickin' In The Pasture this August 20, 21, 22, and 23rd 2009 in Lodi NY. Don't forget to tell your friends!