By Barbara Arnstein
On Sunday, August 30th, the second annual Three Corners Bluegrass Festival in Chaffee, NY, will take place from 10am-5pm at The Annex (12139 Olean Road, on Route 16). There will be great music, a children’s area (children under twelve attend free!), and food trucks. The bands will include Special Consensus (known for blending traditional bluegrass with a contemporary sound), The Hazel Project Band and the Buffalo Bluegrass All-Stars. The opening acts will be the WNY Fiddle Kids and the Home Tones.
“We knew we were extremely fortunate when we booked Special Consensus, one of the nation’s premier bluegrass bands”, said Jean Barnes, the founder of Three Corners Productions, and the organizer of the festival. “They were able to fit our festival into their schedule between appearances at two of the country’s top bluegrass festivals in Maine and New Jersey. Recently the band was invited to perform at the legendary Grand Ole Opry for the third time, where they will appear on July 25th. The following week, The International Bluegrass Music Association announced the finalists for its 2026 Bluegrass Music Awards, and Greg Blake of Special Consensus was named one of the finalists for Male Vocalist of the Year.” (The IBMA winners will be announced on October 22nd.)
“Special Consensus is one of bluegrass music’s most respected and enduring bands”, she continued. “It is a two-time Grammy nominee, and an eight-time International Bluegrass Music Association Award winner. In 2018, it won the 2018 IBMA Album of the Year award, for ‘Rivers and Roads’. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, and released the album ‘Been All Around This World’ on Nashville-based Compass Records.”
The Hazel Project Band, which is all-female, pays tribute to the music written or recorded by bluegrass pioneers and legendary musicians Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. Lindsay Lassonde (bass), Betsy Green (fiddle), Gretchen Bowder (banjo) and Winnie Roy (guitar) were featured in the March 2025 issue of “Bluegrass Unlimited”. The sweet, soaring harmonies in their songs tunefully convey the experiences of love, loss, hardship and endurance. For more information about the band, and to hear some of their songs, go to hazelprojectband.com.
The proceeds from the non-profit event will directly benefit music education programs for young people in Erie, Cattaraugus and Wyoming counties. The food trucks will include: Bumbling Bee, SupChef, Ragtime Ice Cream, Laura’s Cakes and More, and two others. Since this is a family event, no alcohol will be allowed. The event will happen rain or shine, because there will be a pavilion and a tent on the site.
Fun Fact: The Annex was formerly the site of Earl’s Drive-in and Sunshine Music Park.
Tickets are available online at: https://www.eventbrite.com/three-corners-bluegrass-festival-tickets, or in person at the Wyoming County Arts Council in Perry, NY, and Joseph’s Mercantile in Arcade, NY. Early Bird Tickets are $29, and they are $35 at the gate.