10th Annual Griffis Summer Music Festival
10th Annual Griffis Summer Music Festival
The Hills are Alive with the Sound. of… Outdoor Excitement at Griffis Sculpture Park, August 20th
Photos / Griffis Sculpture Park
Who wants to have a little end of summer fun? (If you didn’t raise your hand, you totally just lied.) Everyone wants to have some time out of the house, doing some shopping, going to a concert, having some good food and drinks. That’s what summer is all about! What if I told you, you could do it all at once? That you don’t have to pick and choose. You could just come out to 6902 Mill Valley Road in East Otto, NY on Sunday, August 20th for the 10th Annual Griffis Sculpture Park Summer Music Festival.
ellicottvilleNOW spoke to event coordinator Doug Sitler about this year’s event, their line-up of performers and what guests can expect when they attend.
“This year's festival is the same format as in previous years,” Sitler explained. “It’s an afternoon of music, art, nature, craft vendors, food, beer and wine and more. The music starts at 1:00pm and goes until 6:00pm. We slow the pace down for the event, meaning we have bands, but then performers entertain during the set breaks. The longer set breaks also provide a chance to visit vendors or go see some of the sculptures.”
The cost of admission for the event is $25; children 12 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite or at the gate the day of the event.
“We are excited to have Jim Donavan and Sun King Warriors headlining this year’s festival, said Sitler. “Jim is a founding member of the jam band Rusted Root. They are well-known for their blend of rhythm heavy roots rock with the strong sound of big-barrel drumming. Local favorites PA Line is returning with their unique Folk-Rock sound that is harmony packed and a little funky. Other performers include Griffin Brady and Sly Boot Circus, doing a great set with their world beat drumming. They are uplifting and crowd inspiring. Bianca L. Perod McGraw and Ruby will all be performing as well.”
Along with all the high-energy music, a vendor village will invite festival-goers to browse and shop. Pottery artist Jason Ferguson will return to this year’s event. Photographer Scott Haenlin will feature his sculpture park and nature photos. Perrello's Bakery from Buffalo will offer their delicious cookies. Sculpture Park itself will sell t-shirts and miniature sculptures, and a wide variety of other artists are set to display their works as well.
On the food and drink side of things, a volunteer staffed beer and wine booth will be set up, and snacks will be available for sale from the on-site food truck. Details on the truck are not yet available but if you keep an eye on griffissculpturepark.org or their Facebook page, info for the festival is being updated regularly.
The Griffis Sculpture Park Summer Festival is the main fundraiser for the 400-acre park. They encourage people to attend - not only for an awesome day - but it's a great way to support the long-time local attraction. The park is owned and operated by the Ashford Hollow Foundation. The festival is unique in that it allows patrons to bring coolers and chairs. Festival attendees are asked to park in the Mill Valley Road site parking lot and then can either take a shuttle bus or walk up to the concert site.
Now this might be the park’s biggest event of the summer, but don’t count them out the rest of the year. “Autumn is a big time of the year for the sculpture park,” said Sitler. “People make visits to experience the park in the colorful fall foliage. NIGHT LIGHTS at Griffis Sculpture Park makes its return on Friday, September 8th. For six consecutive weekends, a portion of the park will be illuminated in colorful lighting. You don’t want to miss out on any of that!”
You heard the man… you don’t want to miss any of this amazing entertainment. It’s the perfect way to round out your summer. So get up to Griffis Sculpture Park on August 20th and purchase a ticket for their 10th Annual Summer Music Festival!