The Festival: Eric & Barbra Burman welcome us to their 18th Brookdale Bluegrass Festival sponsored by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. The event will be held at the famed Burman Ranch in Bonny Doon on Friday & Saturday, December 4-5, 2009 (not at the Brookdale Inn & Spa). It will be small and fun with great bands, great jamming, and great bluegrass friends!

Tickets: Daily tickets are only $20. There will be plenty of tickets, but you MUST purchase advance tickets or call (831) 460-9196 to reserve your space before coming up the mountain, as special parking arrangements are needed, and you will need to get the details. Advance tickets can be purchased on the festival website
<www.brookdalebluegrass.com>.

Band Schedule:

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4:

5:00pm - Gates open

5:00-7:00pm - Jamming

7:00 - Hightone Sinners
8:00 - Last River Band
9:00 - Page Brownton & Sidetrack
10:00 - Regina Bartlett

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5:

10:00am - Gates open

10:00am-7:00pm - Open Mike & Jamming

7:00pm - Common Cents
8:00 - Stoney Mt Ramblers
9:00 - Harmony Grits
10:00 - Faux Renwah

There will be evening jamming following the stage performances.

Yodeling Lady Lolita Memorial: In addition to the performances, there will be a number of opportunities to remember and honor the late NCBS icon Yodeling Lady Lolita Ferrell, who died on November 14 after a long illness. There will be songs, stories and documentary films a-plenty. All proceeds from the festival will benefit Lolita’s family.

Weather: Partly sunny both days with a high of 64 on Friday and 60 on Saturday. Low on Friday night 37 and on Saturday 34. All performances and other gatherings will take place INDOORS.

The Burman Ranch: This bluegrass gathering will take place high on a ridge above the Pacific, with performances held in a second story music room in the new ranch barn, and jams in the main residence, a cabin, and the barn.

Food: Meals at the festival will be potluck. Please bring any meat you wish to grill, your drinks, and a contribution for the potluck.

Overnight Arrangements: Call ahead to make arrangements if you wish to stay overnight.

Location: 551 Winter Creek Road, Bonny Doon, CA. From Highway 9 in Felton, take Felton Empire Grade Road to the top of the mountain, then straight ahead as road becomes Ice Cream Grade Road, then down the hill several miles to Winter Creek Road. Right on Winter Creek Road to the large horse corral on the left. (Call ahead for more details.)

Supplies: There are grocery stores in Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, and Ben Lomond.

Fun: This relaxed event will be the perfect wintertime bluegrass gathering — and remember, all of your friends will be there!

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4:

5:00pm - Gates open

5:00-7:00pm - Jamming

7:00 - Hightone Sinners
8:00 - Last River Band
9:00 - Page Brownton & Sidetrack
10:00 - Regina Bartlett

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5:

10:00am - Gates open

10:00am-7:00pm - Open Mike & Jamming

7:00pm - Common Cents
8:00 - Stoney Mt Ramblers
9:00 - Harmony Grits
10:00 - Faux Renwah

There will be evening jamming following the stage performances.

The Faux Renwah, a longtime Brookdale Bluegrass Festival favorite, will headline the Winter 2009 renewal. Promoters Eric & Barbra Burman have announced that this event will be held in a new location in Bonny Doon (not at the Brookdale Inn and Spa). Advance tickets may be purchased on the festival website. The event honors the memory of the late Yodeling Lady Lolita and is sponored by  NCBS. Here, Faux Renwah performs “Soldier’s Joy” with a clogger on the main stage at the Strawberry Music Festival on YouTube.

The 18th NCBS Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, held in March and December most years since 1999 at the Brookdale Lodge, will be held December 4-5, 2009 at a new location in Bonny Doon. Eric & Barbra Burman will present the event as a tribute to Yodeling Lady Lolita and will benefit the late singer’s family. The festival is sponsored by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. Daily tickets are only $20.

The line-up will feature the Faux Renwah, Harmony Grits, High Tone Sinners, Stoney Mountain Ramblers, Common Cents, Last River Band, Page Brownton, and Regina Bartlett

Advance tickets or reservations are required. Tickets and more information about the event can be found on the official  festival website. Please note that the festival will NOT be held at the Brookdale Inn & Spa (formerly, the The Brookdale Lodge),

Eric and Barbra Burman will welcome the Harmony Grits to their 18th Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, set for December 4-5, 2009 in Bonny Doon (not at the Brookdale Inn and Spa). Tickets are now available on the festival website. The twice-annual Santa Cruz-area event has been sponsored by the Northern California Bluegrass Society/Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society since the festival’s founding back in the last century. Here, the Grits (and friends) perform “Going Down That Road Feeling Bad” at a past Brookdale Festival on YouTube.

Advance tickets for the 18th NCBS Brookdale Bluegrass Festival presented by Eric & Barbra Burman are now available on the Brookdale Bluegrass Website. The festival will be held in Bonny Doon on December 4-5, 2009.