The Northern California Bluegrass Society will present the 19th annual Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival August 9-12, 2012. The festival will be held at lovely Bolado Park in Tres Pinos (7 miles south of Hollister).

For the first time, the GOF will be 4 days long, but Thursday will be reserved for jamming and socializing — all stage performances will take place Friday-Sunday, as in past years. The cost of an advance 3-day ticket (July 25 deadline) will be the same as last year — $45 for NCBS members and $65 for non-members, making the event the area’s best bluegrass festival value. 1, 2, 3, and 4 day tickets will be available in advance and at the gate.

The line-up of top California bands on the Main Stage: 27strings, Abbott Brothers, Amazing Dr. Zarcon’s Breathing Machine, Bean Creek, Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys, Border Radio, Carr Creek Crossing, Central Valley Boys, Circle R Boys, Common Cents, David Thom Band, Earthquake Country, Faux Renwah, Highway 65, Highway One, Houston Jones, Hydra-Matic Drive, JEDD Brothers, Kids on Stage, Lampel Brothers, Oak Grove, Sidesaddle & Co., Sidetrack, South County Special, Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band.

In addition, many other bands will perform on the ‘Tweener Stage and on Friday afternoon’s First Stage. These musicians will join with each other and with you for jams throughout the weekend. There will be workshops and children’s activities, and many young musicians will perform with Kids On Stage.

The festival has restrooms, showers, shade over the audience, shady and sunny camping spaces, a low-power FM broadcast of the stage to the camp, free camping for both tents and RVs (plus electric hook-ups and some full hook-ups at an additional charge for RVs), food, craft and information booths, a raffle with great prizes, a meteor shower overhead each evening while we jam below, and sound by Paul Knight. NCBS members will begin the nomination process for the 2013 Northern California Bluegrass Awards.

With Thursday officially added to the event, better service and greater order will be available to attendees on that day. Please note that gates will open at NOON on THURSDAY, August 9. GOF Staff will be the ONLY attendees allowed early entry into the GOF festival area.

You should not come to the festival before noon on Thursday unless you are on staff or unless you plan to take advantage of early camping in other (non-GOF) areas of Bolado Park that will be available throughout the week by arrangement with the Bolado Park office.

The Good Old Fashioned is a benefit for the NCBS, which presents 9 festivals each year in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Monterey Bay Area, along with many other events and services for the bluegrass community throughout Northern California.

Posted Jun 17th, 2012 by Michael Hall in GOF |