Presented by Sisters Folk Festival, the Big Ponderoo Arts and Music Festival will bring Americana and bluegrass music to two stages at Sisters Art Works and Three Creeks Brewing on June 24 and 25 in Sisters. During the week, June 18-21, a bluegrass jam camp called Camp Ponderoo (now in its second year), takes place on the grounds of Sisters Art Works.
Sixteen performance artists grace the 2023 Big Ponderoo lineup.
“Originally we conceived of Big Ponderoo as a progressive bluegrass festival, but in time we realized that ‘Americana’ can encompass so many fantastic musical elements that we expanded the genre to include booking acts like The War and Treaty, The Lone Bellow, Dustbowl Revival, Corb Lund, and Margo Cilker among others,” stated SFF Creative Director Brad Tisdel, who has also been programming the Sisters Folk Festival since 2003. “We’ve always wanted to work with Corb Lund, and bringing back the Lil’ Smokies is going to be a whole lot of fun.”
In addition to bringing national touring acts to the festival, celebrating the thriving music and arts community of Sisters is Big Ponderoo’s mission. The new fest is something of a trade for the visual arts and fundraising event, My Own Two Hands, which SFF “retired” this year after 20 years.
“My Own Two Hands was a very successful visual arts fundraiser and community celebration of the arts,” Tisdel told the Source Weekly. “The fundraiser helped support many of our organizational programming goals and connected the visual and performing arts in a tangible way. We want to continue to support the visual arts community but in a different way, with the music festival being a new offering for our community.”
Crista Munro, executive director of SFF, said, “We care deeply about our mission and about making positive change in the lives of Central Oregonians through the transformational power of music and art.”
The “kick-off” for the weekend is a community celebration during the Fourth Friday Artwalk the evening of Friday, June 23 — featuring a Big Ponderoo-sponsored Fourth Friday Art stroll in Downtown Sisters.
“The Ponderoo Arts Experience is going to be really fun!” Munro said. “The festival is booking talented regional musicians to play at participating galleries.” After the stroll, the celebration will move to the Sisters Art Works venue where people of all ages are invited to enjoy a free concert by Never Come Down and Twisted Pine. “The goal of this year’s Big Ponderoo Arts Experience is to shine a spotlight on the local artist community, on the many beautiful galleries featuring their work, and also to encourage everyone to explore their own creativity,” Munro said.
The Big Ponderoo festival starting June 24 will be general admission (differentiating from Sisters Folk Festival), allowing people to buy tickets for individual days or for the entire weekend. Attendees can also bring their own low-back chair and blankets. Affordable camping options are available at two sites by reservation only for the folks with weekend passes to Big Ponderoo. There are a variety of sizes to accommodate everything from tent campers to large RVs, and there will be showers offered each morning at the Sisters Parks and Recreation site.
Adding camping into the equation isn’t the only “new” thing for this Sisters Folk Fest crew. “We’re excited for the opportunity to try a new festival model with only two venues as opposed to the seven we have for the Sisters Folk Festival in the fall, allowing us to book bigger named ‘headliner’ bands,” said Munro. “We’re also excited to work with Three Creeks Brewing to use their production facility property as one of our venues – their mountain views are amazing!”
Tisdel acknowledged that there’s plenty of music going on in Central Oregon these days, but believes SFF and Big Ponderoo offer something people value.
“We continue to be an independent festival, an intimate music experience and are a nonprofit organization that invests deeply in the community of Sisters and Central Oregon,” he said. “We want to be sure folks know they will have an excellent festival experience with world-class artists and production and discover artists they may not be familiar with… and it supports the growth and health of the local, community vibe.”
This article appears in Source Weekly April 13, 2023.
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