It was just after COVID was over, and we all wanted a place to gather and jam, after not seeing each other for at least a year.
Someone suggested this cool little state park called Greenleaf, and in April of 2022, a handful of us gathered. Sue Reading had driven all the way from Colorado. We sat down, played one tune and she said, “Glen, if we only play one tune, “It was worth the drive!”” And so a catch phrase was born, even though, sadly, Sue has passed on since then.
We had no plans to make a festival out of it. The folks over in Gobbler Ridge Campground (DIY Music) had been gathering there for more than 10 years, as kind of an “off Winfield” Bluegrass Campout. I made the joke to Harry Simpson that they should give us the other campground for Old Time. The response…“if you run it Glen, we will set it up for you!” So Shirley Adams and I mulled it over a bit and decided that the following year, we would start a jamming event. More of a meet up and jam kind of thing. But as interest grew we decided maybe we could take some money we had set aside to hire someone to come. Turns out that Howard and Tricia were going to be driving right through Oklahoma that weekend to play a gig in Austin. So we paid them for a couple of workshops and a show. It went great.
Year #2 word got out. CROMA was no more, and folks wanted a festival to go to. It was never even the slightest dream that we would somehow even partly replace CROMA…but folks (“CROMA refugees”, we like to call them) were starting to come from all over the place, at the urging of the old time prophet, Kate Kerr. We agreed with Howard and Tricia that they needed to always be a part of this thing we had started. They were all in. We wanted to get a bit official and add a another artist that we would need to fly in, but that was going to take a few grand…I put out on the Facebook page that we could get another act if we had the money and amazingly, we had it committed (by donation) in 24 hours. So Bragger and Platz joined us alongside Howard and Tricia for year #2.
And then, word really got out about Greenleaf. Friends from many of the states between the Rockies and the West coast as well as Vancouver, BC told me that folks were all talking about this new Greenleaf fest in Oklahoma of all places.
Year #3 was a doubling in size with the Canotes, Bragger & Platz and Spencer and Rains.
Year #4 was hard to beat with Adam Hurt, Beth Williams Hartness, Erynn Marshal, Carl Jones and The Lost Keys. Folks from the eastern part of the US started to notice and we met some new friends who gave the festival a shot (and promise to be back).
So here it is…Year #5! You have all been great supporters!
The committee has worked hard this year to strike a balance between all the factors that play into a good festival.
We affirm that our priorities for Greenleaf are and will continue to be in this order from greatest to least:
1) Jamming: In my opinion, nothing is more important to musicianship, growth AND motivation in this music than to be able to sit down and jam with other people. I was thrilled at Greenleaf #3 when one evening I could count 6 different good jams spread out around the campground. And at Greenleaf #4 it was difficult to count as one campsite jam melded into the sounds of another…there were many places jamming. Jamming opportunity is my criteria for success for Greenleaf.
2) Education: We all have something to learn. And many people did not grow up playing this music or this style, so we feel strongly about making Greenleaf a place where you can develop. That orchestra student who gets an ear worm from Old Time…they need to learn how to play it.
When we choose an artist, it is nothing about whether they can perform; it is all about how they can teach…not just one tune..but a style or method. The problem is, we cannot cram enough education in without crowding out the jamming. Would you believe, most of our artists tell us that we are not using them enough?? But we need not tie people to schedule all week long, so we hold back on more workshops. It is a big discussion and always a compromise.
3) Performance: I want to point out this is number 3 as in the lowest priority out of three. This is not a performance festival, it is a jamming festival. So sure, each main artist performs, but we are not going to center the festival around it.
In conclusion, your valuable survey responses overwhelmingly reinforce everything that I just stated.
If you are heading to the festival for the first time, I hope this gives you some idea of how we lead this fest. And be sure to read the About and Why is it Free? sections for more about us.
I look forward to meeting each and every one of you and hopefully I can find the time to jam with each of you as well!
Glen Schmidt
Festival Director
