Watermelon Pickers’ Festival: Gem of Music, Community, and Family Fun
By Jennifer M. Lee
To the delight of thousands of people, the 20th annual Watermelon Pickers’ Festival returns to the Clarke County Ruritan Fairgrounds this September 6 and 7. As a long-time attendee of and photographer for the festival, I sum up my experience there as “the happiest place on earth.” The music is exceptional and diverse, the vibe is unparalleled in its friendliness and calm organization, and the venue of the fairgrounds works and plays great. We all miss being riverside on the Shenandoah, but are grateful to have another space in Clarke County that works so well for performances, camping, good food, fun merch vendors, and ease of access.
David Van Deventer, a.k.a. “fiddly Dave,” is the managing partner of Shepherd’s Ford Productions, who organizes and hosts the festival. He is also the fiddle player for the festival’s host band, Furnace Mountain. Furnace Mountain has been playing together and thrilling audiences for over
30 years.
I asked Dave some questions about this year’s festival, and this is what he had to say.
JL: A few thousand people sure are happy to have the festival back this year. What compelled you take a year off and what compelled you to do it again?
DVD: Thanks, Jen! I took a year off because I was not feeling inspired. I have to say it felt good to take a year off, and I’m refreshed and excited to be doing it again this year!
I want to thank two longtime friends and music enthusiasts, Katie Priest and Stacey Sinclair, for encouraging me to give it another go and helping with the organization this year.
JL: Oh, and it’s the 20th one!
DVD: Yes, 20 years is a good long time. Many kids have grown up with this festival, and many dear friends have passed on. We were very fortunate to be able to host Loretta Lynn and Dr. Ralph Stanley while they were still with us.
JL: Tell us about the festival this year. How many acts? Workshops? Kids activities?
DVD: This year will feature 20 different musical acts with a mix of bluegrass, country, and folk music. There is a music camp on Thursday for folks interested in honing their skills on an instrument or voice, and plenty of kids activities, dance workshops, a band contest and activities for the whole family on the schedule.
JL: This festival is known as being very family friendly. How important is that to the whole vibe of the festival?
DVD: Yes, family friendly is the vibe we are going for.
We have always curated the event towards families that want to camp and immerse themselves in music
and community.
It’s great that you can go to a concert any night of the week, but a bluegrass and traditional music festival that offers camping, kids activities, contests and dance workshops is a different experience.
In this day and age, I believe it is more important than ever for folks to be able to get off their screens and spend time together with the options of camping, sharing food, dancing, playing and learning music, or going from campsite to campsite to hear local musicians jamming.
JL: How do you find the musical acts that perform at the festival? You always have some very well-known performers mixed with local musicians and those lesser known. What’s your process for curating the music
and musicians?
DVD: There are a lot of music festivals out there, and being both a musician and event organizer, I have experienced many of them from the patron and performer side. I make observations and try to adapt to changes as they come. A lot of acts we have had in the past, like Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Charley Crockett, Rhiannon Giddens, and many more have gone on to become so popular that they are out of the price range of a smaller festival like ours now.
I try to keep an eye out for those artists on their way up. I try to have some musicians that speak to me personally and I just really want to see. I try to have artists that have a connection to this area and it’s rich bluegrass and old-time music history. Then I try and have a balance of new and old, local and touring, male and female, progressive
and traditional.
JL: What is the pay range you pay acts to appear at WPF?
DVD: In the 20 years of doing this, our headliner acts have ranged anywhere from $5,000 to $65,000.
JL: Any acts you want to give a special shout-
out about? First-timers? Return
old favorites?
DVD: I am excited about a young mandolin player named Wyatt Ellis. Wyatt is 15 years old and a student of Chris Henry, a local mandolin player and member of the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band. Wyatt is on his way up in the bluegrass world, and it will be fun to watch and see where he goes. The bluegrass community can be very supportive of young artists on their way up.
The Wyatt Ellis band’s full set is on Saturday, and his mandolin workshop is earlier that day. I wouldn’t be surprised if we also see Wyatt sit in with all female bluegrass band Della Mae as well as the Saturday night headlining act, the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band.
I am also very excited about the return of Carsie Blanton and Miko Marks. Carsie is one of my (and my daughter’s) favorite songwriters. And Miko Marks blew the roof off at the festival in 2022 when she opened for Little Feat.
I’m also excited about Lovettsville, Va., native Lillian Hackett. Lillian is a 17-year-old singer-songwriter who was featured on American Idol this past year. Lillian will play a solo set on Friday and be part of a honky-tonk band with various local talent that will include a two-step dance workshop before the performance
on Saturday.
I’m looking forward to hearing Larry Keel with their new and exciting ensemble called Electric Larry Land! You won’t want to miss Nitty Gritty Dirt Band founder and local musician Les Thompson featured in John McEuen and the Circle Band.
And I’m excited to see for the first time the Po Ramblin’ Boys, who are up for the IBMA best entertainer award for 2024.
JL: How many volunteers work the festival? Do you need some this year?
DVD: We will have about 60 Volunteers this year. I think we are full with volunteers this year, but you can check on the volunteer page of the website.
JL: At the end of festival weekend, what are you happiest about? What gives you the greatest joy in running
this feat?
DVD: Successfully gathering people and knowing that we helped provide a space for the folks in the community to spend time with old friends and maybe make a few new ones is the greatest reward.
JL: Anything else you’d like to add?
DVD: Yes. This event would not be possible without the support of the local community of sponsors, staff, and volunteers and Shepherds Ford Productions team Mark Burgess, Trevor Creany, Morgan Morrison, and Frazer Watkins, and the Clarke County Ruritan.
The 20th annual Watermelon Picker’s Festival will be held at the Clarke County Ruritan Fairgrounds in Berryville, Virginia on September 6th and 7th, 2024. Tickets prices range from $60 – $70 for a one-day pass, with add-ons like camping, early arrival, and workshops costing extra. Visit watermelonpickersfest.com for info on all the offerings and to get tickets. We hope to see you at the Festival!
You’ll be happy; promise!
