Summer Crush is proud to present the 1st Old Florida Folk Fest April 7 from 11 a.m. -5 p.m. Of course music is always central to any Festival at the winery, so Summer Crush has three premier Old Florida music acts: from Gainesville “Cracker the Box” – Don Blitch, “The Cracker Cowman” – Frank Thomas from Polk County, and “Blast of Grass” from Maxville, Fla.
There will be a special Old Florida cow camp display by cowman Buddy Mills, of Okeechobee and displays by Indian River Historical Society. It benefits the IRC Historical Society and the St. Lucie County Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Ranchers.
The music stage schedule will rotate throughout the day with each act preforming twice with “Cracker The Box,” Don Blitch, opening festivities at 11 a.m. and closing the day at 4:15 p.m. Don plays Folk and Old Time Festivals all over and is known for his songs derived from his experience from being raised in an Old Florida family; like Troutline, Deep River Blues, and Morning Dews and in the old busker style of playing several instruments at one time.
Frank Thomas plays at 11:45 a.m. and 2 p.m. Frank is such a living Old Florida legend, that the Frank Thomas Folk Music and Heritage Festival at the site of the Dade Battlefield Park in Bushnell, is named in his honor. Frank’s Florida roots go back to the late 18th century and has written many songs and albums about Florida including Cracker Nights, Florida Stories, Bingo!, Spanish Gold, There Goes the Neighborhood, and Just Another Day.
Together, Frank co-produced and hosted a national syndicated NPR weekly singer-songwriter radio show, and his video “Florida History in Song” won the Florida Historical Societies coveted Golden Quill Award. Other awards include; The Florida Folk Heritage Award, the Florida Historical Societies Jillian Prescott History Award, and the Stetson Kennedy Foundation’s Fellow Man and Mother Earth Award. Frank continues the rich tradition of passing on Florida history through story telling in song and still resides at his home, known as The Cracker Palace, in rural Polk County.
For Bluegrass lovers, we have a real treat. Blast of Grass will be performing at Noon and 2:45 p.m. Together since 1999, they are best of friends and were the “Florida State Instrumental Champions” with guitarist, Justin Lanier being the “Florida State Flat Picking Champion” in 2006. Keith Bass, of Okeechobee, has several banjo championships under his belt in the State of Florida and in North Carolina. He is also known for promoting the Yee Haw Junction Bluegrass Festival for six years and the Bluegrass Family Gathering for 7 p.m. You won’t want to miss them.
Special addition for the day – an Old Florida Cow Camp by Cowman Calvin “Buddy” Mills from Okeechobee, winner of the 2015 Florida Folk Heritage Award. Immersed in the Cracker cowboy lifestyle on a full-time working ranch, Buddy learned to make traditional buckskin cow-whips from his father, the well-known Florida Cracker cowboy George “Junior” Mills. Junior taught Buddy how to make high-quality whips from deer skin.
Buddy was a top rodeo competitor, and was awarded a rodeo scholarship. Following a career with the Florida Department of Agriculture, he now teaches vocational agriculture at Yearling Middle School, a perfect platform for sharing his knowledge of buckskin whips, swamp cabbage, and other Cracker traditions.
Regarded as an articulate, engaging, and tireless spokesman for Cracker heritage, Mr. Mills participated in the Florida Folklife Apprenticeship program in 2009 and 2011, and is featured in the Voices of Florida radio series.
In 2010, he was one of only six tradition-bearers chosen to represent Florida at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering at the Western Folklife center in Elko, Nev., in conjunction with the exhibition Florida Cattle Ranching: Five Centuries of Tradition.
With a dedication to preserving his heritage, Mr. Mills continues to make buckskin whips, and presents Cracker traditions annually at the Florida State Fair’s Cracker Country.
In addition, the IRC Historical Society will also be on hand sharing local history – www.irchistorical.org. Helping support a charity could win you tickets to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s John McEuen and friend concert here April 14.
A highlight for the day will be Old Florida food fare items sure to include gator, frog legs, catfish, cooter (aka turtle), wild hog, corn on the cob, collards, and of course swamp cabbage and more. Food is not included in the ticket price.
Summer Crush will have their handcrafted award winning Old Florida Muscadine wines, as well as other popular beverages like; wine Slushees, Sangria, Mocktails, as well as over 25 local microbrew and select beers and ciders.
Early Advance General Admission Tickets are $10 through March 22 or $11 through April 6. Day-of admission is $12. A portion of every ticket goes to the charity partners for the day: IRC Historical Society and SLC Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Ranchers.