Bluegrass Festivals Around Wellsboro, Pennsylvania

Hickory Fest

• Set at the Stony Fork Creek Campground in Wellsboro during August, the annual Hickory Fest has been running since 2001. Past performers include Peter Rowan, the Harris Brothers, Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys, The Biscuit Burners, Cadillac Sky, and the Gatorbone Trio. The festival lasts three days, with 25 acts playing in 2010. Crafts and food are also available to buy at the site. The campground venue is tucked into the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon with recreational opportunities available such such as hiking and fishing.

  Hickory Fest

  P.O. Box 111

  Wellsboro, PA 16901

  570-439-4079

  hickoryfest.com

Smoked Country Jam Bluegrass Festival

• Located 13 miles north of Renovo, off Route 144, the annual Smoked Country Jam Bluegrass Festival is about an hour's drive south of Wellsboro. It has been running since 2004. The venue is the Quiet Oaks Campground. Performers in 2011 will include The Hillbilly Gypsies, The Fox Hunt, The Special Consensus, and Grass Stained Genes. Festival tickets can cover the three days of the event; camping or single-day camping tickets can also be bought.

  Smoked Country Jam Bluegrass Festival

  P.O. Box 175

  Avis, PA 17721

  smokedcountryjam.com

OATS Festival

• Set at the Benton Rodeo Grounds, less than two hours' drive south of Wellsboro, the Out Among the Stars (OATS) Festival runs annually at the beginning of July. Performers in 2010 included the Gibson Brothers, the Bluegrass Brothers, Dale Ann Bradley, The Hilbilly Gypsies, and Some Assembly Required. Workshops include classes on family harmony, songwriting, fiddle, mandolin and other instruments taught by the performers themselves. Camping and festival combination tickets are available.

  OATS Festival

  The Benton Rodeo Grounds

  Mendenhall Lane

  Benton, PA 17814

  oatsfestival.com

Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival

• Just over three hours southeast of Wellsboro, the Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival in June offers stage performances, workshops, and a jam tent. In 2011, the event will have been running for 30 years. Artists performing in 2010 included The Dixie Bee-Liners, The Cabin Fever Band, Jesse McReynolds, Valerie Smith, and The Hickory Project. The event venue is the Mountain View Park in Wind Gap, with free car parking and free camping with a weekend ticket.

  Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival

  Mountain View Park

  Wind Gap, PA 18091

  1-800-WIND-GAP (1-800-946-3427)

  windgapbluegrass.com