This September’s Highlands Bluegrass Festival in Sloatsburg, NY, features Tony Trischka and his band Territory as the headline act. Sponsored by the Town of Ramapo and Rockland County Tourism, the annual Bluegrass Festival runs from 1-6pm on Sunday, September 9 and is staged by the The Friends of Harmony Hall. The Friends are requesting concertgoers donate $10 toward the event (kids are free) — a much-needed contribution which helps the non-profit group pay for expenses.

The Highlands Bluegrass Festival is an important Sloatsburg event — it’s an opportunity for the Village to welcome hundreds of visitors from across the Hudson Valley and surrounding area. The big event animates the downtown Route 17 corridor, helping the local economy … come rain or shine.

The Friends of Harmony Hall only have so many hands to help stage the event, so members of the Sloatsburg Chamber of Commerce have stepped up to help, both as active vendors and event day volunteers.

The Bluegrass Festival at Harmony Hall in Sloatsburg features a special FREE Kids Bluegrass Krafts section, a tented, supervised safe area adjacent to the Great Lawn dedicated to kids crafts, with face painting and other art activities. Sloatsburger Marianna Krichevsky (shown here with husband Alex) will keep a watchful eye while providing arty activities. The Bluegrass Festival takes place Sunday, September 9, from 1-6pm.

The Bluegrass Festival is much more than music. The Sunday, September 9 outdoor music festival is a family and kids friendly outdoor day on the Great Lawn in Sloatsburg, NY, surrounded by views of the imposing nearby Liberty Rock and the far ridge of Torne Mountain. There will be a handful of quality craft and food vendors, including a Defiant Brewery beer truck and smokey BBQ offerings from Fink’s BBQ and Cheesestake Roadhouse in Suffern.

Another important Bluegrass Festival feature will be the Kids Bluegrass Krafts, a free tented, supervised safe area on the Great Lawn, dedicated to kids crafts, face painting and other art activities. Parents attending the Bluegrass Festival are welcome to bring their children by the Kids Krafts tables, where Marianna Krichevsky and her volunteer group will keep a watchful eye while providing arty activities.

Krichevsky is a Sloatsburg resident who runs Marianna K Design Studio (interior design) and is one of those helpful Sloatsburgers involved in community service. An enthusiastic and active Chamber of Commerce member, Krichevsky shows up early to lend a helping hand. She also organized and managed a similar kids table at the April Keep Rockland Beautiful Sloatsburg Chamber event.

Krichevsky will manage the Bluegrass Kids Krafts section, a series of three tables with a tented area that will offer an assortment of activities, including rock painting and custom face painting.

Kids Krafts is provided free by the Friends of Harmony but there will be a donation jar set aside to help cover supply expenses, with any donations going directly to Marianna and her helpers. The face painting is offered for $1 — a donation that will help cover the cost.

An event such as the Bluegrass Festival is full of behind-the-scenes help, all in an effort to create a festival that is growing into a signature Rockland County event.

So, should the skies turned cloudy, don’t let it dampen your enthusiasm. The Friends of Harmony Hall are hard at work on figuring out a good weather solution as well.