Black Bear Americana Music Festival

This is what happens when a local community works together to create and event that brings them together

Black Bear Americana Music Festival takes place on Harwinton Fairgrounds in rural Connecticut and brings in a collection of locals that obviously look forward to the event throughout their year. The festival spans the fairgrounds and presents a variety of things to fill your day besides music. A Jamboree tent to listen to artists talk about their creative process, and art barn to let vendors from the area set up and showcase their work, and a collection of food trucks specializing in beverage and meals to keep the festival stocked with whatever you need. The fairground also hosted several stages for their artists to play from, a main, side, and outside stage that allowed there to always be an artist performing throughout each day.

Harwinton also hosting some larger names at the festival to help wrap up the experience. Day 1 ended with a performance by “Pure Prairie League” that really brought out the entire festival grounds. People coming from all the other stages to make sure they got to see the closing performance for day 1, despite the fact they’d get to come back and do it all again tomorrow.

The artists themselves also showcasing their involvement with the area by sharing stories of their experience in Harwinton. Even talking directly to crowd members between songs to showcase how down to earth the whole festival was run. A dedicated group of volunteers but the festival into motion, and it’s those same people that have been making sure that Black Bear stays running. If it’s a small, rural weekend trip you’re looking for and you find yourself in the area, be sure to check out the Harwinton Fairgrounds and experience a part of Connecticut that cares that you’re there.

Photos By Tristan Reiser