Bloodroot Gap at the 2025 Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival – photo © Dale Cahill
Over the first weekend in August, Podunk held its 28th bluegrass festival. The festival takes place each year at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen, Connecticut, and this year festival goers were graced with perfect blue skies and balmy breezes. The gates opened on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. and campers were lined up to find their site and start setting up for the weekend ahead.
As in past years, the music began on the main stage on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. The festival opened with the Boston-based band Grain Thief followed by the Band Competition. This year’s bands included Queen City Cut Ups, the Coal Fired Ramblers, Ironwood Drive, and Stillwater. The judges, who included Ken Irwin, Jeff Horton, and Rick Brodsky, were awarded Vermont based Queen City Cup Ups with first place. The Eugene Tyler Band ended the evening and sent the audience back to their campsites for late night picking, where there were some epic jams!
The same day, festival goers also had the choice of morning yoga, listening to afternoon bands on the Housatonic stage, which features emerging regional bands, and attending four different workshops: Clawhammer, taking a Song from the Page to the Stage, Double Stops as Building Blocks for Mandolin Solos, and a Bass Workshop.
Friday morning included Amanda Cook Band, Blue Canyon Boys, Carson Peters & Iron Mountain, and the Stillhouse Junkies on the main stage. Again, The Housatonic stage offered nine different bands as well as a 7:30 dance set by the Zydeco Revelators. Workshops ran continuously throughout the day on the Litchfield Stage, favorites being the dobro workshop with Rob Ickes, Anatomy of a Song by Jim Lauderdale, and Twin Fiddling with Austin Scelzo and Alissa Wolf.
Friday culminated in two well attended shows, Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley Band and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys with Jim Lauderdale. Stillhouse Junkies led the late-night jam. Given that we were camped right next door to the late-night jam we can attest that it lasted well into the night/morning, as did many other impromptu jams all around the festival grounds.
Campers woke up on Saturday to another beautiful sunny day and the soft sounds of waltzes from The Dale and Darcy Band. This soft start to the day was followed by last year’s band competition winners, Vermont based Bloodroot Gap, The Burnett Sisters, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road, Rock Hearts, and My Brother’s Keeper.
At this point, the 2025 songwriting winners were announced. First place went to Buddy Guido for his song, A Night Like This, second place to Evan Richart for his song, On a Bluegrass Breeze, and third place went to Sarah Trunzo for her song, Free for the Taking. If you are interested in submitting one of your original songs, you need to do so between November 1st – April 30th. You can find all details about the song writing competition at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival website.
Saturday night concluded with two favorites, Rock Hearts and the Dan Tyminski Band who played tunes from the past and the present. Once again, the late-night jam, this time led by Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road, marked just the beginning of all night jams, and there more than ever this year. For those were awake by 10:30 the next morning, My Brother’s Keeper and the Rock Hearts performed gospel shows before welcoming the Kids Academy to the stage for their own show.
Podunk is clearly a mature festival which handles the crowds, the camping, and all the many details, with calm and efficiency. The Goshen Fairgrounds offer plenty of room for campers and for day trippers who easily found great views of the main stage. The smooth and predictable golf cart taxi service made getting around a cinch. And most importantly, the porta potties, bathrooms and free showers were immaculate.
The nine board members and one hundred and forty loyal volunteers worked seamlessly and cheerfully from start to finish. They can consider their 2025 festival a resounding success.
