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Haymaker Festival will feature 24 bands on three stages over two days on historic Oakley Farm in Spotsylvania, VA. Oakley has played host to many outdoor music festivals over the past three years, but none have been as ambitious or adventurous as the festival, which will take place this May. National, regional, and local talent will grace three stages over two days, giving patrons myriad choices for musical enjoyment. Patrons will also be able to camp on Oakley for the two nights of the festival, sampling tasty food provided by vendors, taking part in special activities for children, and simply enjoying the scenery that the farm provides in abundance. And this festival is affordable: tickets will cost festival goers only $45 when purchased in advance. Proceeds from the event will go to the George Beals Conservation Leadership Foundation and the Dr. Jocelyn Leighty Rodgers Memorial Veterinary Scholarship Fund.
The artists for this year's Haymaker Music Festival will include Little Feat, Keller Williams, The Del McCoury Band, Drive-by Truckers, and 20 other bands representing many musical styles. Several of the bands hail from Virginia and include local favorites such as The Hackensaw Boys, Homemade Bread, McLaws Drive, Jackass Flats, Corn Tornado, and many others.
We are honored to welcome Little Feat to the Farm for this year's festival. Their time-tested brand of Americana rock has been winning fans over for more than three decades. Their latest release Kickin' It At The Barn (2003 Hot Tomato Records) is an energetic compilation of tunes that could have been recorded alongside their acclaimed releases of the early seventies.
Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers
By The Kayceman |
Oakley Farm is host to the 2004 Haymaker Music Festival. The farm itself is a 3,800-acre celebration of the rural Spotsylvania that seems gone but is not forgotten. A working family farm, Oakley boasts a beef cattle herd, a forage operation, timber plantations, and extensive hardwood stands. The farm also has its place in US history, having witnessed serious fighting between battalions on their way to the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse during the Civil War; the Battle of the Wilderness touched the property in 1864. The main house on Oakley is listed on the Virginia Register of Historic Places.
Patrons will be able to camp on hundreds of acres of rolling hayfields, which will act as the festival grounds, giving everyone ample room to stretch out and enjoy the weekend. The average high temperature for the days of May 7 and 8 in Spotsylvania is a comfortable 75 degrees, with a mean temperature of 61. Haymaker Productions has been organizing and producing music festivals and events for three years in the Fredericksburg and Richmond areas. The inaugural Haymaker Music Festival took place on Oakley Farm in October of 2002. A great success, it drew patrons from around the corner and across the nation. Artists included Bruce Hornsby, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Leftover Salmon, The Del McCoury Band, Keller Williams, and many others.
The goal of Haymaker Productions in organizing the second derivation of their initial success is to bring patrons more quality music for an economical price. "The theme of this festival, besides having a great time listening to great music, is bang for your buck," says Haymaker organizer Steven Leighty. "We wanted to bring the best talent from around the country and throughout the region to the Fredericksburg area at an affordable price."
Proceeds from the event will benefit two charities. The George Beals Conservation Leadership Foundation was created in memory of George Beals, longtime manager of Oakley Farm, who was instrumental in making the farm a national example of good conservation practices in agriculture and forestry. He was well recognized for his efforts and worked inexhaustibly to create conservation and farm-friendly legislation in Virginia until his untimely death in 2000. The Dr. Jocelyn Leighty Rodgers Scholarship, honoring the late veterinarian, is given annually to a student majoring in veterinary medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. This scholarship honors the intelligence and accomplishments of Jocelyn, affirms her family's commitment to higher education, and covers the ever-rising costs associated with studying veterinary medicine.
Haymaker Productions Inc. was founded in 2001 by brothers Jonas and Tom Beals with a goal of building communities out of music. Haymaker Productions adheres to these principals: To give fans a safe and enlightening enviro-musical experience; to design our events with conservation, preservation and the best environmental practices in mind; and to create an event that will be mutually beneficial to Haymaker Productions and the local area.
JamBase | Virginia
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