By Kate Bartlett
New this year, the Three Corners Bluegrass Festival is a full day celebration of bluegrass music at the ANNEX in Chaffee on Sunday, August 10 from 10am-5pm.
The event location was previously Earl’s Drive-In, an iconic restaurant and music venue owned and operated for 56 years by the late Earl Northrup, a lover of country, bluegrass and gospel music. Earl brought numerous artists to the music park such as Loretta Lynn, Boxcar Willie, Hank Williams and Bill Monroe, using the stage and pavilion he built for this purpose. Seven years ago, Jean Barnes helped initiate the Honeymoon Island Bluegrass Festival in Florida, and learning about the location history, became interested in a new festival at the location of Earl’s Sunshine Music Park.
The ANNEX is an event and wedding venue on a nine-acre site on Route 16 in Chaffee, just north of the Cattaraugus/Erie County line. The festival is outside utilizing Earl’s stage, a covered pavilion and lawn chair seating. The event is family-oriented with a Children’s Area. Food and beverages will be available. The event is alcohol free. Guests are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs or blankets for a day of entertainment in this lovely setting. The name, Three Corners Bluegrass Festival, originates from the convergence of Erie, Wyoming, and Cattaraugus Counties.
been playing nationally for 30 years and have a huge following. The band has
released 14 albums (available on Amazon). Their band has included Mike Barber,
bass, who has played with the brothers since the beginning, as well as
other outstanding musicians.
The Three Corners Bluegrass Festival features 3 bands including 2 well-known NY bands, the Gibson Brothers, and Creek Bend Bluegrass Band, and Pythagoras, a student band from East Tennessee State University (ETSU).
The festival opens with a performance by WNY Fiddle Kids, featuring Heather Pennington’s fiddle students. “They are an incredibly talented group with an established fan base,” explains Jean. “Their fall performance at the Sardinia Historical Museum filled the house!”
The headliner band is The Gibson Brothers, an upstate NY band who have been playing nationally for 30 years and have a huge following. The band has released 14 albums (available on Amazon). Their band has included Mike Barber, bass, who has played with the brothers since the beginning, as well as other outstanding musicians.
The Gibson Brothers pair their lyrics with melodies that blend perfectly with the feeling of the words. “Both Leigh and Eric are deeply expressive singers, and powerful vocal soloists. When they sing together the effect is striking. The Gibsons’ vocal blend is distinctive, instantly identifiable, and very much their own. They are known for their “brother harmony.” The Gibson Brothers grew up on a family dairy farm near the Canadian Border in NY, and remain modest despite their great success. Their accolades include back-to-back International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainer of the Year awards.
Pythagoras are on tour this summer playing at various festivals around the country, including Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in the Hudson Valley, and this festival in Chaffee. The band members are attending ETSU (East Tennessee State University) leading to a 4-year degree program in bluegrass.
Creek Bend Bluegrass Band is a Bluegrass band based in Buffalo, NY that has been serving up good, hot bluegrass music for over thirty years. Led by Mark Panfil, his musical family and friends play in many locales in Western New York with fans and followers throughout the area. He also manages and promotes the Buffalo Bluegrass Youth Ensemble, encouraging future bluegrass musicians. Regional bluegrass happenings are posted on the calendar of BuffaloBluegrass.com, along with history of bluegrass in WNY.
The festival emphasizes the strengths of the farm country in the area and the special values placed on family and small-town values. “We are celebrating these values and emphasizing the qualities we are proud of. These values are associated with the kind of country style bluegrass whose lyrics touch our hearts and minds”, including many of the Gibson Brothers songs.
Discussions last year of a potential festival at the tri-county location were supported by Sandy Pirdy at the Arcade Chamber. Sponsors for the event will help support the event, which will in turn benefit the community. The festival is managed by Three Corners Productions, a nonprofit 501©3. Proceeds will be used to support youth musical education in the tri-county area. Volunteers are sought to help publicize and organize the event in the tri-county area and help on the day of the event.
Jean encourages everyone to come out and enjoy the day. “Expect to have a nice time and go away with a good feeling and a bounce in your step. We hope the music from these talented bands will leave you looking forward to the next bluegrass festival.”
For more information, visit ThreeCornersBluegrassFestival.com and follow on social media at Facebook Three Corners Bluegrass Festival | Chaffee NY – Facebook. Online tickets are available through Eventbrite.