A little music festival born out of the pandemic returns to Singers Glen this weekend. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
Back in 2020, a group of family and friends that loved going to Red Wing Roots Music Festival were trying to come up with something else to do, because the pandemic had canceled their favorite summer event. And thus, FredFEST came to be.
MAUREEN OSTLUND WARD: And we kind of devised it jokingly, naming it after my Dad, being that it's held on the farm … and my Dad is kind of like this very soft-spoken but witty guy who's everybody's friend.
Maureen Ostlund Ward, a veterinarian in Harrisonburg, is the main organizer of the event. It takes place on her parents' Christmas tree farm.
WARD: You're driving through the trees, and there's a wheat field next to you, and then you park and it just kind of enters into this meadow, tree-covered oasis … you go up over this little hill and it opens up into this pond … We've stocked it with trout, so they're jumping. Little turtles are poking their heads out. Over that pond, we have built a 10-by-20 foot timber stage … the background on the stage is wildflowers, just fields of wildflowers.
The festival has grown from 35 people the first year to about 250. As of Thursday afternoon, there are still tickets available for Friday and Saturday, if you're a fan of Americana and folk music. This year’s lineup includes The Judy Chops and David Wax Museum.
