The Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, a four-day summer event that brings a wide range of roots-oriented music to western New York, will not be happening this year.
Organizers announced that the coronavirus pandemic situation was too unpredictable for its usual July slot at the Trumansburg Fairgrounds, just north of Ithaca. It was set for July 16-19.
“I can sit here and play guitar,” founder Jeb Puryear said in a message posted on YouTube, his guitar in hand, “and it’s fairly fascinating. But it’s not near as fascinating as when you resonate off of other people playing, and of course resonate off of other people listening. Just the whole scene and all the things we’ve developed between us, the special sauce, and it can’t be replaced by anything else.”
The 30th edition of the festival will now be July 21-24, 2022. All previously purchased tickets will be honored at that time, or for any subsequent GrassRoots Festival.
Last year’s GrassRoots was presented online, featuring videos from past festivals.
Jeff Spevak is WXXI’s Arts & Life editor and reporter. He can be reached at jspevak@wxxi.org.
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