By Shawn Nowlin
shawn.nowlin@ourvalley.org
Fall may be here in a few weeks, but there is still plenty of summer left.
Salem resident Brittany Johnson says she speaks for a lot of locals when she says outdoor music concerts never get old. With the help of Dwayne Cole who organizes yearly concerts, Pickin’ in the Park was established four years ago.
Last Saturday, hundreds of attendees, including Johnson and her family, gathered at Longwood Park to hear Bluegrass music, enjoy food trucks and other vendors and make memories with loved ones.
Gate 10, Wound Tight and Junior Sisk were the three bands who graced the stage. All three are from Southwest Virginia and have been well-received in the local Bluegrass community.
Headliner Junior Sisk has risen to the top of the Bluegrass music industry with authenticity. Sisk was named the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards Vocalist of the year in 2013 and 2017. The most recent album, “Load the Wagon,” has placed on the charts.
Because Longwood Park has so much space and an amphitheater, it made for an ideal spot to have an outdoor concert. “It gives us plenty of space for spectators while also allowing us to bring out food trucks, have a beer garden and set-up games for the kids,” Ashley Durkin, the Salem Parks and Recreation Special Events Supervisor, said.
She added, “This has been a growing event ever since we started it. We have been able to get big name bands that people from all over the area want to come out and see. We love to see people come out and have a good time. Our job is to host events for the Salem community and seeing events like this so well-received makes it all worth it.”
Amy Stone, a self-described Bluegrass music connoisseur, says she never misses an opportunity to attend an outdoor concert. Only one question was on her mind when she arrived at Longwood Park: “How many pictures am I going to take?”
“I sometimes embarrass my husband when we go to events like this because I take so many pictures. The way I see it, I’m just capturing memories,” she said. “After more than 20 years of marriage, he is used to it by now.”
Concertgoers like Johnson and Stone couldn’t stop dancing when the bands were performing on stage. “It was a beautiful day, and the energy was even better,” said Stone before Johnson added, “I had even more fun that I originally thought.”
Skyline National Bank sponsored Saturday’s event.
