By Kate Bartlett
This July marks the 31st annual Great Blue Heron Music Festival, a three-day event on their beautiful campgrounds in Sherman, NY. As tradition, the event takes place over July 4th weekend, this year on July 5, 6 and 7 in celebration of music and community.
Owner and founder Julie Rockcastle has been involved since its inception on her family’s 200-acre campground, now owned by her and her husband Steve. Her friend, David Tidquist, was involved with Grass Roots Festivals and was looking to start an outdoor festival in this area. “My parents had this beautiful piece of land, so I figured ‘why not? We started brainstorming and planning and on July 4th, 1992, David and I hosted the first ever Great Blue Heron Music Festival.
The event has always been a three-day celebration of music and community, and Donna the Buffalo has played all 31 festivals. “The band is good friends with David, and we love having them come in from Ithaca. They bring a great energy and are at the foundation of our festival and Grass Roots,” remarks Julie.
While the campground has been around since the 1960’s, it has evolved over the years. It is now a 3-season campground with numerous campsites, RV spaces and Airbnb cabins available. The grounds have expanded their running water capacity to improve the comfort for their guests. They have added several shelters and now have a full commercial kitchen to best meet the needs of their guests. “We have the unique ability in that we own the property so we can adapt as needed for the festival and other events.”
Since its inception, Great Blue Heron has hosted a variety of bands, focusing on Americana, blue-grass, electronic rock, reggae, pop, celtic and zydeco bringing a fun, funky vibe. “We have always had an eclectic mix of music,” comments Todd Wagner, Festival Assistant, “We focus on bands that write their own original music, they are true artists at large. These writers and creators bring an amazing energy to the show, and they collaborate with each other, inspiring each other, making the festival a one-of-a-kind event. The energy here amongst the artists is unmatched.”
This year, the festival is featuring 33 bands with renown artists including Rubblebucket, Couch, The Town Pants, Jimkata, Driftwood, The Probables, Stolen Gin, and many more. This year’s headliner is Sam Bush, 3-time Grammy Award Winning bluegrass artist, known as the King of JamGrass, who has also been inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
As always, the event will have several vendors on site. “I tell everyone to pack light, no need to bring lots of food, we’ll have plenty here.” Ten food vendors have signed up, and over 25 craft vendors. There will also be a Kids Tent along with a Teen Tent. Musical instrument workshops will provide the opportunity for festival goers to learn banjo, fiddle, harmonica and more. The Healing Arts program will offer yoga and meditation sessions in the mornings at the festival.
The event has no sponsorships, and is completely funded by Julie and her husband. “We invest in this festival because it’s something we truly love and believe in. We have enjoyed watching it thrive.”
Julie’s favorite part of the festival is the people. “Everyone at the festival is here to have a good time. The energy is contagious and the connection between people is deep. Now that we’ve been doing this festival for over 30 years, we see generations come together here as a family tradition. It’s such a fun, laid-back, vibrant event.”
Great Blue Heron is more than just music, there is depth to the festival. “It’s about community,” says Todd. “It’s an experience, here in this beautiful setting. Friends and families connecting and bonding together over the weekend. Strangers becoming friends, returning year after year. It’s tradition for many, and in a way it’s become its own little community. It’s really something special.”
The festival has even adopted its own language of sorts, as festival goers greet each other saying ‘Happy Heron.’ “You’ll hear it the second you arrive onto the property until the minute you leave. You’ll even hear it shouted late at night sometimes,” laughs Julie. “People are feeling and spreading the joy of the festival. It’s contagious.”
Weekend tickets and day tickets are available, along with camping options at greatblueheron.com.