The Deep Roots Festival presents a Harvest Home celebration Saturday night, September 7 starting at 5 p.m. at Burrell Park in Carmi, Illinois. An evening of acoustic and unplugged music is on tap, and free hamburgers and hot dogs will be available as long as they last, courtesy of Little Giant, the Webb-Hay House, Pam Mitchell-Haywood, of Make Healthy Happen and Greenman Design Studio.
Harvest home celebrations were a staple of our European ancestors, and popular in the early days of America, as a way to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. Similar to harvest festivals like Corn Days, the difference is the focus is more on community participation than on vendors and outside entertainment. Ideally participants will bring a covered dish or dessert, but people are invited to come and enjoy the music and food even if they don’t. Those with gardens are encouraged to bring fresh vegetables or dishes made with their homegrown produce.
There will be egg tossing and hula hoop contests with cash prizes for the kids, and horseshoes and washers for the adults.
Headlining the show is Long Hard Road. The group consists of LD Wolf, guitar, Gene West, vocals and harp, Sheri Stevens, keys, Jerry Pringle, vocals, Tim Mitchell, drums and Nash McVey on bass.
New to the Deep Roots Festival is Cronin and Co., featuring Josh Cronin, DR Mobley and Brittany Warren.
Making their second appearance at the Deep Roots Festival are the Smokies. The group is made up of Candi and Ryan Stocke, Alex and Kayla Smock and Tom Knasel on bass.
Also on the bill is Starfire, which will perform acoustic and easy rock favorites of the sixties and seventies, along with a solo set by former Carmian Mark Doane.
Rounding out the bill will be the Friday Night Drifters, who will be playing songs of a nautical nature, along with some old folks songs and songs based on old folk tales.
The night will close out with a singers’ circle, where each participant picks a song and whoever knows it can join in. The circle will feature Carmi favorites Mark Rogers and Scott Kittinger, among other special guests.
People are invited to bring picnics, coolers, grills, blankets, lawn chairs – whatever they require for summer fun.
The final official event of this year’s Deep Roots Festival will be November 1 at Burrell’s Woods, with Amputee headlining a Halloween celebration.
