Are you ready for the biggest bluegrass event of the year? Join us for our BLUEGRASS IN THE KO`OLAUS at Ho`omaluhia Botanical Garden on O`ahu!
If you're a musician, this is a great opportunity to do some serious jamming. If you just love listening, this weekend will make your ears very happy! It's a long way to the Mainland's awesome bluegrass festivals, but here's a chance to get a little taste of the festival experience. There's nothing quite as wonderful as picking around a campfire on a starry night! This event is FREE, but we will ask for voluntary donations to cover costs for the weekend.
Bluegrass in the Ko`olaus kicks off THIS SATURDAY, August 28, at magical Ho`omaluhia Botanical Garden in Kaneohe! Join us for one, two, or all three days (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, Aug. 28-30), as a happy camper or as a "day tripper"... as an acoustic musician, or as somebody who just loves to listen to great homegrown bluegrass and traditional music! ALL ARE WELCOME, and it's all FREE (though we gratefully accept donations!)
Our schedule's posted below! As you'll see, we've got plenty of fantastic workshops and activities planned this weekend, including an OPEN (NO) MIC and a repeat of last event's awesome BAND SCRAMBLE for all you budding bluegrass and traditional music superstars! Come set up your campsite (if you're camping) and start jamming anytime after 9:00 AM Saturday when the park opens. Check out our park info, gate closings and MORE below!
I urge all who plan to come to this event to try to extend your weekend through Monday afternoon! This will be one of the best times you will have this year, I promise... our April event was SO delightful, an unforgettable weekend of music, friendship, laughter and fun!
IF YOU WANT TO CAMP: Please email caroline@bluegrasshawaii.com immediately to sign up for camping; include your phone number and the number of people in your party. And check out camp rules & regs at listed below!
Please note that our wonderful Matt the Fantastic Camp Cook, due to a separated shoulder, will not be able to do nearly as much this year to keep us fed. You will need to bring your own breakfasts and lunches, and a pot or plate to share for our Saturday and Sunday night potluck supper jams. GET WELL SOON, MATT!!
Thanks so much to our awesome volunteer workshop coordinators! Remember, jamming will be going on ALL weekend. Feel free to start a session of your own! Just be sure you're considerate of workshop groups and other jammers who may be playing nearby.
Saturday, August 28| 9:00 am | Park opens; find your campsite, set up your tent and START JAMMING! |
| 1:00 pm | Slow Jam with Bob Schornstheimer (Bluegrass Barnstormers) |
| 2:00 pm | Vocal Workshop with singer/songwriter Louise Taylor |
| 3:00 pm | Band Scramble (coordinated by Evelyn Greene of the Bluegrass Barnstormers) |
| 5:00 pm | Potluck Jam--please bring a plate or pot to share |
| 6:30 pm till ???? | Open Jamming |
| 10:00 am | Gospel Sing with Rene Berthiaume and Harry Timmins |
| 11:00 am | Bluegrass Musicianship with Kilin Reece (Saloon Pilots) |
| 1:00 pm | DADGAD Guitar for Beginners with Lawson Cannon (Celtic Waves) |
| 1:00 pm | Beginners' Welcome to Bluegrass Fiddle with Lesley Kline (Saloon Pilots and Doolin Rakes) |
| 1:00 pm | Intermediate Irish Fiddle with Lisa Gomes (Gordon Freitas & Local Folk; Irish Hearts) |
| 3:00 pm | Open (No) Mic (coordinated by Caroline Wright) |
| 5:00 pm | Potluck Jam--please bring a pot or plate to share |
| 6:30 pm till ???? | Open Jamming |
| ALL DAY | Open jamming all day long; park closes at 4:00 pm. |
This may be the most important thing you need to know about the park! Ho`omaluhia CLOSES at 4:00 PM every day, and the gates are closed and locked. However, there are two other gate openings:
ALL guests (campers and non-campers) who wish to stay past 4:00 PM on any day of our event must check in at the Visitors' Center to obtain parking passes for their vehicles. Please do this before proceeding to our site! The Visitors' Center is open between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM Saturday and Sunday. You will need to provide your license plate number, make of your car, number of people in your party, and the name of your campground (Kahua Nui), and please let 'em know you're with the Bluegrass Hawai`i group.
If you cannot arrive at the Garden by 4PM on Saturday or Sunday, there's another very short window of opportunity on each day during which you can enter the gates. But you'll need to call ahead to arrange for a parking pass! On the day you plan to come, call the Visitors' Center at 233-7323 and ask them to leave your parking pass with the security guard. (Remember, you'll need to provide your license plate number, make of your car, number of people in your party, and the name of your campground--Kahua Nui--and let 'em know you're with Bluegrass Hawai`i!) If you arrive between 5:30 and 6:30 PM, the guard will let you in. That's right: between 5:30 and 6:30 PM!
Sign Up Now: Camping is exclusively by permit with our group from 9AM Saturday through 4PM Monday. Please contact caroline@bluegrasshawaii.com if you want to camp, so that we can add you to the List. (You will still need to obtain a parking pass at the Visitors' Center, as mentioned above.)
Where To Camp: Please pitch your tent to the LEFT of the pavilion and up the gentle slope, as you're facing the mountains. If you pitch your tent close to the pavilion or restrooms, you will be asked to move it. Overflow camping is available across the street as well, but there's plenty of room on the Kahua Nui side!
What To Bring: The bathrooms have cold-water showers and sinks; the pavilion also has cold-water sinks. You'll need to bring your own food, drink, and gear, including...
Campsite Preview: Here's a video that shows beautiful Kahua Nui, our campsite for Bluegrass in the Ko`olaus at Ho`omaluhia Botanical Garden! Useful for those who have never been to Ho`omaluhia and want to get an idea of the layout of the place.
Here's a video from our very first Pickin' Weekend, held in September 2009.
And here's a PDF of the program for our first Pickin' Weekend!
New video of our SECOND Pickin' Weekend, held in April 2010, is now available online at http://sites.google.com/site/bluegrasspickinweekend/! Special thanks to Don Hutton and Mike Mueller for their awesome videography!
And here's a PDF of the program for our second Pickin' Weekend!
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Complaints? Want to volunteer to help make Bluegrass in the Ko`olaus a fabulous success? Please contact Caroline Wright at 808/206-3459 or caroline@bluegrasshawaii.com!