The highly rated, family-friendly music festival at Circle Pines Center south of Grand Rapids will fire up with more than two dozen regional artists after a two-year COVID hiatus. See the lineup at Local Spins.
Buttermilk is Back: The stages at Circle Pines Center will once again be hopping. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Buttermilk Jamboree’s 10th music festival was a long time coming.
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Torpedoed by COVID-19 the past two summers, the family-friendly, social justice-oriented festival south of Grand Rapids returns in June with headliners The Way Down Wanderers, Funkadesi and Zion Lion leading a lineup of more than two dozen performers and regional favorites.
The highly rated festival – which placed second in Local Spins’ 2020 Readers’ Poll of Favorite Michigan Music Festivals – returns June 17-19 to Circle Pines Center in Delton, with organizers predicting a solid turnout amid pent-up demand for live music.
“There have been a lot of inquiries and comments on our Facebook page from fans eager to get back to Buttermilk. Can’t wait to see their smiling faces,” said Ken Wylupski, who coordinates festival bookings.
“Our focus has been to find the best acts that we feel represent the Circle Pines’ mission of cooperation, peace, social justice and diversity. We are optimistic for a decent turnout, especially after the last two years of pandemic cancellations.”
As with other festivals, Buttermilk attempted to book as many of the performers who had been slated to play the 2020 festival before it was canceled due to the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, there are several that are unavailable,” he said. “Buttermilk has always featured regional acts, mostly due to the expense of bringing national touring acts in.”
The roster of regional acts for 2022 is impressive and includes Last Gasp Collective, Annie & Rod Capps, Black Jake & the Carnies, Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, The Strapping owls, The Mainstays, Max Lockwood, FlyLiteGemini, Via Mardo, Conklin Ceili Band, The Mickeys, Megan Dooley, The Schrock Brothers with Peter “Madcat” Ruth, Brotha James, Hawks & Owls and more.
Headlining on Friday, The Way Down Wanderers are an Illinois-based band that incorporates art rock into the group’s string, bluegrass and folk music. On Saturday, Chicago’s Funkadesi will bring a mix of folk, Indian bhangra, reggae, funk and Afro-Caribbean strains to its performance. And the Sunday headliner, Zion Lion, has long been one of Michigan’s most popular reggae acts.
As is tradition, the festival also will feature tributes to Big Bill Broonzy and Pete Seeger (iconic artists with ties to the camp) as well as the late Dacia Bridges, a beloved Southwest Michigan singer and musician who passed away unexpectedly in 2019.
The festival, which attracts more than 2,000 attendees, has a diehard following.
“This small farm, camp throwdown is super family-friendly and harbors the most welcoming music-loving community in Michigan,” said festivalgoer Erin Kash.
“From bluegrass, rock, international and funk to R&B and indie-folk, there is something for everyone to love and easy to see why so many have made this a yearly family tradition.”
Earlybird weekend tickets are $88 for adults, $25 for children, available online at circlepinescenter.org.
Revisit past Local Spins coverage of Buttermilk Jamboree
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