Editor's Pick: ‘Bluegrass with a 21st century edge’

Grasstowne opens Wildflower season

WHEN: Saturday, June 28 at 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary in White Mills, PA. In the event of inclement weather, the air-conditioned auditorium of the Wallenpaupack Area High School in Hawley. If in doubt as to the venue on the day of performance, call 570/253-5500 after 12:00 noon.

COST: $20 for general admission, $10 for students aged six through 18, and free for children under six.

CONTACT: dorflinger.org

WHITE MILLS, PA — From Shandelee to Bethel Woods, from the Weekend of Chamber Music to Honesdale’s concerts in Central Park, this area is blessed with a wonderful variety of summer music festivals. Many of them occur in lovely venues, but the Wildlower Music Festival can certainly lay claim to one of the most beautiful for those who are fans of nature as well as music: the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a destination in its own right, with 600 acres of trails through well-preserved woodlands and the Dorflinger Glass Museum to boot. In fact, concertgoers can consider making a day of it, wandering through the grounds and paying a visit to the museum during the day, then finishing with a picnic at the concert. No seating is provided, so guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.

In keeping with the country feel of the rural setting, this year’s season of the Wildflower Music Festival will open this Saturday with a performance by the bluegrass group Grasstowne.

The band combines three multiple-award-winning veterans with two young up-and-coming players. Phil Leadbetter, Steve Gulley and Alan Bibey began their musical careers in different touring bands before coming together to form Grasstowne, a name meant to connote the roots of their beginnings and their future in one shot. “Bluegrass music with a 21st century edge,” sums up the essence of the band, according to Leadbetter. With the addition of Jason Davis on banjo and Jamey Booher on upright bass, the band was formed. The first release from the group, “The Road Headin’ Home,” hit the shelves on August 7, 2007. The album won the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America’s (SPBGMA) 2008 Album of the Year award. The group also has the number-one hit bluegrass single, “Dixie Flyer.” The group received 11 SPBGMA nominations this year in various categories, and took home two.