It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the untimely passing of dear friend, and longtime staff member, Barry Hazle Sr. Those of us who had the fortune to know Barry are in shock, as we mourn the loss of a very special individual, who left us far too soon. Barry was genuine, honest and kind so it’s hard to imagine a world without his larger than life presence.
Many of you who live in Northern California know Barry for his many contributions to the local music community. Until he retired at the end of last year, Barry had been an integral part of the North State Public Radio family, for over 20 years. He started out there in the late 90’s, as part-time host of the long running, “Good Old Fashioned Folk Music Show”, and is most recently known as developer and host of “The Shasta Serenade”, a two-hour weekly celebration of Americana music that aired Saturday afternoons, since 2010. As co-founders of the nonprofit organization “The Oak Song Society for the Preservation of Way Cool Music”, Barry and Maline, have produced class act concerts together, in Shasta County, since the mid 90’s.
Known to us fondly, as Big Bear, Barry Sr. and his wife Maline have been helping people find their place at Strawberry, for nearly three decades. Whether you were arriving to the festival for the first time and needed help finding a campsite or called ahead because you needed to power a CPAP machine, you were in good hands with Big Bear, at the helm of the Camping Assistance crew. Several surviving family members who have also been making Strawberry a better place as beloved, longtime Strawberry staff are Barry’s wife Maline, his two sons Brian and Barry Jr., as well as his sister, Judy. Our loving thoughts are with the Hazle family, as we hold them close in our hearts, like a giant Strawberry hug with many layers of love.
R.I. P. Big Bear.
