Welcome. Click here for direx to the Elks Lodge.
The Pocono Bluegrass and Folk Society, begun in 1998, is dedicated
to the promotion and preservation of authentic acoustic music.
To some, they may seem eccentric, living like nomads from one weekend to the next, braving the driving rain and blistering sun, pitching their tents from Boone to Boston, until the winter cold finally drives them indoors. They're not really homeless: they're bluegrass fans. And they can't go for long without a chance to play or listen to this quintessentially American music form.
To combat the cold, bluegrass and folk lovers attend "Shindigs" like the one hosted by the Pocono Bluegrass and Folk Society. These gatherings are held at the spacious BPO Elks lodge in East Stroudsburg on the first Sunday of each month during the winter, except for the month of December. For a few bucks, the public is free to listen, jam, have a beverage or food, and generally enjoy an afternoon of fiddle, old-time, bluegrass, gospel and Irish tunes.
Begun by members of The Lost Ramblers, the society now boasts fifteen other member bands who perform a wide range of acoustic musical styles. Each month, two or three bands are the featured performers for the stage shows, which begin at around noon on the main floor which is open to other acts as well. The rest of the building quickly becomes populated by groups of musicians who enjoy "jamming", a tradition in acoustic music circles where fiddles, guitars, banjos, stand-up basses and mandolins take "breaks" in turn.
"We love the chance to play with our friends --- the old ones, and especially the new ones we make every month. It's especially neat to see a bunch of individual musicians go into a room and a band come out and perform on stage a couple hours later," Ramblers' guitarist Neil Morris said.
Two dates this winter are special. From Friday, Jan. 26, 2007 - Sunday, Sunday, Jan. 28, PB&FS presents the annual WinterFest, featuring many bands including Dan Paisley and the Southern Grass. For three days, the towns of Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg will be invaded by a small army of fans, beginning with coffee shops on Friday evening, a jam at the Best Western Friday night, concerts and workshops all day and evening Saturday, and a gospel service and concert Sunday.
And in April, the Ramblers will host the 27th annual Fiddle Showdown, where anxious fiddlers compete for hundreds of dollars in prize money and bragging rights for being "top gun fiddler".
Doors open at 10 a.m., admission is $5 for the general public and $4 for PB&FS members. For further information, see our website at http://www.poconobluegrass.org, call Neil at 570-424-2937, or e-mail Deb at PBFSDeb@aol.com. Or call John at 570-992-2259 or email him at jcuuu@ptd.net The Elks Club is located on Washington Street in East Stroudsburg, next to Rosen's furniture and off the East Stroudsburg exit of route 80.