{"id":150041,"date":"2025-06-19T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=150041"},"modified":"2025-06-19T10:34:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T15:34:18","slug":"the-hill-country-picnic-celebrates-20th-anniversary-june-27-28-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/the-hill-country-picnic-celebrates-20th-anniversary-june-27-28-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hill Country Picnic Celebrates 20th Anniversary June 27 & 28, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s time to ring in the summer with the hottest music festival in the region<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Davis Coen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Access the 2025 North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic Digital Guide here<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On June 27 and 28, 2025, the area\u2019s finest performers of traditional, roots, blues, and rock will gather in Waterford, Mississippi<\/strong>, for what might be the biggest lineup yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The annual weekend family picnic and festival, which draws folks from throughout the Mid-South<\/strong> and beyond to enjoy live music, workshops, food, and camping, has only missed two years since it began in 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the Main Stage, the Campground Stage returns for the milestone year, to help accommodate over 25 acts. Many artists have been on board from the get go, while others are just becoming mainstays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only is it a landmark year for founders Sara <\/strong>and Kenny Brown<\/strong>, but the many hardworking volunteers who hustle behind the scenes doing various tasks are now getting much deserved attention. At last year\u2019s Picnic there were 49 volunteers\u2014some travelling from as far as New Mexico<\/strong> and Minnesota <\/strong>to offer their services\u2014logging in an impressive 952 total volunteer hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snag tickets here for the 2025 North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This year there will even be some coming all the way from the Czech Republic<\/strong> to contribute their time to the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a non-profit organization, the Picnic has always embraced their volunteers, sponsors, and supporters who help pursue its basic mission, which is \u201cto enhance appreciation and educate the public about the native art form of North Mississippi Hill Country Blues<\/strong> music, through performance, preservation, and interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robb Roaten<\/strong> from Memphis, Tennessee<\/strong>, who first attended the Picnic in 2015 and was \u201cimmediately hooked\u201d before getting on board to help, understands the important role he and his peers play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe music is of course the main event, but the community, connection to history, and celebration of local creative culture makes for something far greater than the sum of its parts,\u201d said Roaten. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t do it without our volunteers and our sponsors who make putting this event on each year possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, Roaten said, \u201capproximately 35% have been volunteers for over 10 years,\u201d which says a lot about the overall dedication. Volunteers help with a range of tasks such as site prep, artist hospitality, medical staff, parking, photography, raffle and merchandise tents, promotion, poster distribution across the Southeast, graphic design, and transportation of rental items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roaten has always been a fan of the \u201cdistinctive energy in the music coming from North Mississippi and how it has influenced the region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other volunteers have been on board from the beginning, like Aby Koleski<\/strong>, who has been in charge of catering since the early years when the two-day festival took place at a 1,100-acres site in Potts Camp<\/strong>, Mississippi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aby and her late husband Don <\/strong>began cooking backstage and taking care of musicians around the third year, along with couple Ray and Nina Gandy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aby and her husband eventually enlisted their daughter Brandi and all three of their grandsons to become involved.
Two grandsons, Casey <\/strong>and Cody<\/strong>, worked for a short time before joining the Air Force and Navy, but William has been with Aby backstage taking care of folks for about twelve years\u2014along with \u201cadopted\u201d son, Jason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are a three generation Picnic family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Aby\u2019s point of view, \u201cImprovements have been made every year,\u201d especially compared to the old days in Potts Camp.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She called it a \u201cWell oiled machine,\u201d much due to the loyalty of the volunteers. \u201cYou basically have the same people working back there every year, and they know what needs to be done and how.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aby feels that the Waterford site has an advantage because the facilities are \u201cbuilt and designated\u201d specifically to accommodate the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Snag tickets here for the 2025 North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For most attendees the Picnic is a weekend event, but Aby calls it a \u201cfour-day affair,\u201d because it requires her and the crew to arrive on Thursday to set up and make full use of every provision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aby and company will get their much loved hamburgers and hot dogs going on Friday, then usually do barbecue on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, even though she may not remember every musicians\u2019s name, there are some she\u2019s seen almost every year, and will always greet her with \u201chugs and \u2018Good-to-see-yous!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said, \u201cIt\u2019s really, really awesome. I feel like we were blessed to be able to do this to help Kenny and Sara. I have always let my grandkids know how special it was that they even had the privilege of being there, because it\u2019s just a life experience that they would never get anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dwight Bradshaw,<\/strong> a friend of Kenny\u2019s since before the Picnic began, recalls the old days in Potts Camp, where he helped with everything from setting up, to doing wiring and construction work, to sitting in when a medical team member wasn\u2019t able to make it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unique to me about the best way to describe it,\u201d said Bradshaw. \u201cIt\u2019s just like the music\u2019s coming out of the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Snag tickets here for the 2025 North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another longtime volunteer is Archie Storey<\/strong>, who has also helped the Browns since the Potts Camp days.
He remembered selling t-shirts in the early days when the only vendors were R.P. Funderburk<\/strong>\u2014 who turned making bird houses into an artform\u2014and the Boy Scouts selling merchandise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archie and his wife Kristie created a vendor village where they sell everything from handmade cigar box guitars to paintings to tie dyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recalled a memorable vending experience once when a man approached asking questions about cigar box guitars several times throughout the day, but mostly just to escape the hot sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archie explained to the man that cigar boxes are more about encouraging the craft and history and that different ones were prices, but the would-be customer was still standoffish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy theory is if you\u2019re interested in mine, that you can go and build your own,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a box and a stick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man eventually purchased a cigar box, and told him, \u201cIt\u2019s just because you\u2019re so honest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing this beloved craft with others is the important part. The \u201cpremise behind building cigar box guitars is to help,\u201d Archie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also recalled that what got him started decades earlier was watching a video of Luther Dickinson<\/strong> of the North Mississippi Allstars<\/strong> playing one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What it comes down to is a \u201cbig happy family,\u201d and that it will be a good time to sit back and reminisce on the 20 years, and appreciate what the Browns have accomplished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an actual family picnic,\u201d he emphasized. \u201cI think when they named it back in the day, they named it perfect\u2014because that\u2019s what it is. To see what Sara has done over the past 20 years to help preserve a genre of the blues that almost was undiscovered by the masses up until the late 90s\u2014it\u2019s an amazing thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Snag tickets here for the 2025 North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Access the 2025 North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic Digital Guide here<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"North<\/a>
North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic Guide 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Snag tickets here for the 2025 North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Access the 2025 North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic Digital Guide here<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Don\u2019t forget to get your raffle tickets at the Picnic for the chance to win plenty of incredible items, including this guitar signed by all of the 2024 artists. The guitar is a custom build, made by Chuck Lirette (pictured above with Duwayne Burnside and Robert Finley). You must be present to win, so make your plans to attend the 2025 Picnic and you could be the owner of some really cool stuff!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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