Check out the Big Bear Stage schedule for Fall 2017. This venue is being dedicated in loving memory to festival friend Barry Hazle Sr., fondly known as Big Bear. Formerly the Shortcake Stage, this intimate showcase stage is located in the Food Court and hosts a variety of Strawberry’s best programming such as the Breakfast Club, our popular workshop performances, Teen Open Mic, and much more. As Barry would say…See You At The Music!
What are you most looking forward to eating and/or drinking at the Fall 2017 Festival Food Court? This year we’re happy to welcome back Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Posse running the Beer & Wine Booth sponsored by Sierra Nevada, Blue Sun Cafe, Fatty Eggroll People with their Pasta Prego menu, Southern Comfort Express, India Gourmet, Sierra Smoke BBQ, Traditional Me-Wuk Tacos, Mountain Sage Coffee, Fruit Ala Cart, and the Strawberry Way Cafe. Joining us for the first time, Opa Grill will be serving delicious traditional Greek food and Simply Amazing offers both kettle corn and popcorn with a variety of savory toppings. We’ll have more detailed menu information available soon. We’re really getting hungry for festival food and we can’t wait to see you there!
Can you believe that, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Mavis Staples is coming to Tuolumne, California in just 23 days?!? A real living legend, Staples has been performing for over 60 years, and just keeps getting better with time. Her performance at last year’s Spring Festival, was deeply genuine, soulful, energetic and so full of love! It’s such a privilege to have Mavis Staples return to the Strawberry Stage, for the upcoming Fall Festival. Here she is, at the White House, in 2013…
So, who wants to be on the Strawberry Street Team? Anyone can participate by posting the Fall 2017 Festival flyer on your favorite public bulletin board. Send us a picture of yourself, with your posted flyer, and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win one of two pairs of 4-Day Camping tickets to this year’s Fall Festival. Please send your photo submissions, with your name, phone number and email address, to info@strawberrymusic.com or mail to P.O. Box 664, Jamestown, CA 95327. Submissions must be received by midnight, on Monday, August 14th, in order to qualify for the drawing. On Tuesday, August 15th, two winners will be chosen randomly and will be contacted privately, as well as posted publicly, along with their photo submissions. Unlike most of our contests, every photo submission will be counted as a separate entry, so long you have permission to post the flyer and each photo is taken in a different location. That means the more flyers you post, the better chance you have to win. Please call our office M-F, 9-5 at (209) 984-8630, if you have any questions about how enter the Strawberry Street Team ticket contest. Thank you for helping to spread the word about Strawberry and good luck!
Printable Fall 2017 Festival Flyer
The dates to the contest were originally listed incorrectly and have been changed to reflect the right information. Contest submissions are due by Monday, August 14th and the drawing is on Tuesday, August 15th. Sorry for the confusion and good luck!
Westside is 175 acres of wooded hillside and sprawling meadows, perched at edge of the Stanislaus National Forest, at an elevation of approximately 2,500 feet. Since weather is typically 5 degrees cooler in Tuolumne, than nearby Sonora, make sure you are checking the right forecast at https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Tuolumne+CA+USCA1167:1:US. The weather was in the high 80’s/low 90’s at the last two Fall Festivals, and there’s still plenty of time for the seasonal dip in temperatures to occur.
While the foothills can be hot during Labor Day weekend, there are lots easy ways to beat the heat. Some campsites have filtered shade and some campsites are out in the open, but either way, you’ll be more comfortable if you bring a shade canopy for your camp. There will be places to gather and sit, in the shade, wherever programs are held. Plus we’re going to add some misters near the Music Meadow and at the Kids Program. Take advantage of our expanded hours at the pool, in nearby Tuolumne, which is now going to be open from 12noon to 5pm on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, during the festival. So, don’t let the heat keep you indoors when there is fun to be had, at the Fall 2017 Strawberry Music Festival, in just 28 days! Stay tuned for more fun facts to follow or call us with your questions M-F, 9-5 at (209) 984-8630 and then we’ll see you there…
Breakfast Club has always been one of Strawberry’s greatest traditions. Anyone can sign up to play for breakfast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 7am – 9am. Breakfast Club will take place on the Shortcake Stage, conveniently located in the food court. This beloved morning program is a Hog Ranch Radio broadcast. Signups are at the Hog tent on the day before the show. More information is to follow about the delicious festival fare being offered in the food court during the Breakfast Club.
Sunday is a very special day at Strawberry, and not just because its the last day of the festival. Always starting with Strawberry’s storyteller extraordinaire Bz Smith, this Fall’s Revival will feature Rusty Stringfield, Laura Love, Marley’s Ghost, Birds of Chicago and the grand finale will be Tim O’Brientogether with Bryan Sutton. After three days of Main Stage music and family activities, it’s time to slow things down, relax and rejuvenate at the Sunday morning Revival. Of course, if you absolutely must, you can stay in your tent and hear the whole thing on Hog Ranch Radio. Either way, this show, set in the splendor of the Play Stage, is not to be missed!
We’re very excited to welcome Mitch Third, Ismay, Lindi Ortega, plus both members of Birds of Chicago, Jeremy Thomas Lindsay and Aspasia Allison Russell to Friday’s late night showcase, at Amy’s Orchid Lounge. Tickets to Amy’s are available, day of show, at our festival Info Booth. The Singer Songwriter Showcase has recently become a bi-annual tradition at Strawberry and super cool way to highlight these performer’s individual talents. You’ve got to be there, to be there, so we’ll see you there, on Friday night!
…but what we do know about their numerous special appearances, scheduled during Fall Strawberry, is pretty darned fantastic. Besides their Main Stage set on Sunday night and the Red Knuckles show at Amy’s Orchid Lounge, Hot Rize will also present their “Songs & Stories” set on the Shortcake Stage, Saturday afternoon. In addition to individual Main Stage sets by Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius and the Bryan Sutton Band, Tim and Bryan will close out Sunday morning’s Revival, together. A new Main Stage timeslot has just been created for Pete and Joan Wernick to perform Sunday afternoon and they will also present their jam workshop at the Shortcake Stage, on Friday. Nick Forster is going to work with the folks at Hog Ranch Radio. The details of his appearance on our festival radio are still to be determined, so stay tuned for more news coming soon. That said, the only real way to know what will happen when the Hot Rize guys crash the Fall Festival is to come and see it for yourself. We predict the fun factor will be extremely high!
Strawberry’s nonprofit partner, Rock In Road, is standing up for youth music. You can help by attending the Band Stand fundraiser and/or donating an instrument. This event takes place on September 23rd, from 4pm – midnight, in the Sierra building, at the Sonora fairgrounds. The Band Stand project collects unused and unwanted instruments, has them refurbished and donates them to kids participating in local music education programs. The instruments that can be most widely used are band type intsruments, that are repairable. Please no junk. Cash donations, in support of distributing quality instruments to kids, can be sent to Rock In Road, P.O. Box 1412, Jamestown, CA 95327. Please indicate that your donation is intended to help the Band Stand youth instrument exchange. Thank you for standing up for youth music!
