8-30-09-New briggsfarm.com web-site to premiere soon.  Tickets will be made available by October 15th 2009, IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS.  2010 Tickets will be for sale on-line from this site, by phone or mail order.  Next summer’s Briggs Farm Blues Festival dates are July 9&10, 2010.       

8-5-09-Thanks SO much to everyone who stayed through the rain on Saturday night.  The bands really wanted to play and that was especially true of headliner, 78-year-old Louisiana Red who came all the way from Germany to play for us at Briggs Farm.  We shut down the main stage for an hour because of lightning and started up again around 9:30.  The 1,500 fans who were able to stay till the end got the show of a lifetime.  All the bands played to an extremely enthusiastic crowd who felt like they owned the stage after weathering the storm.  Louisiana Red didn’t want to stop and played an amazing, inspired set ending the show and the 12th annual Briggs Farm Blues Fest on the highest note ever at 1:30pm.  For us, those fantastic last 4 hours of music were made even sweeter for the challenge of the rain and the triumphant ending to another great festival.   

7-13-09- A few pictures are up and more will be coming soon. Check here to view some of the pictures from this year's festival.   

7-7-09- We are all getting very excited about this years show.  The weather looks great for Briggs Farm all week long.  The new corn-guitar T-shirts and hats are here and hundreds of other last minute details are being worked out for the 12th annual blues festival this weekend.  Advance tickets are available till 6pm Thursday and all orders placed on line or arriving by mail since July the 3rd will be held for you at the main gate or at the camping gate.  If you already have a camping ticket go directly to the camping gate to get a wristband.  See you all soon!!!   

6-26-09- This just in and the start of a new tradition at Briggs Farm.  Alexis P. Suter will be opening the festival by singing the National Anthem, a cappella, on the main stage at 4:30pm Friday the 10th.  That’s a very good reason to get here early on Friday and if you are already here kicking back at your camp site it’s time to make your way to the stage.  Check out Alexis on the line-up page.  Remember that the last day for us to mail your tickets to you will be the end of business, July the 2nd.  New ticket orders received after that will be held at the camping gate for campers and at the main gate for day tickets. See you all soon!!!

6-22-09- It’s 19 days till Alexis P. Suter opens the 12 Annual Briggs Farm Blues Festival on the 10th of July and it’s crunch time for the crew at Briggs Farm.  The sky has finally cleared up and we are looking at a nice stretch of dry sunny weather ahead.  The Main Stage is up and hay is being cut in all of the parking, camping, and audience areas.  This week we are also cleaning up the camp woods and pilling up the leftover firewood.  We are increasing our ability to BBQ by making more grills and in addition to the chicken, pulled pork, sausage, slaw, sweet corn, and strawberry shortcake we are adding hand cut French fries and pecan pie to the menu.  This year we will be doing our best to help everyone recycle and at the same time reduce the amount of trash that is left behind to be carted off to a landfill.  

6-11- 09- Richard Briggs, founder of Briggs Farm Blues Festival, was in the recording studio this week with Michael Cloeren of "Mountain of Blues Radio Show" to talk about this year’s Blues Festival and to play a sampling of our steller line-up.  The show will be on Michael Cloeren’s Mountain of Blues Radio show on Sunday, June the 14th from 9pm to Midnight.  In Northeastern PA you can tune into 102.3 FM The Mountain on Sunday night to catch the show.  The interview and show with Richard will also be streamed at www.102themountain.com and archived at www.mountainofblues.com.  This weekend we are off to the Chicago Blues Festival and when we get back it’s time to put up the stages at Briggs Farm in preparation for the 12th annual Blues Festival on July the 10th and 11th.  I can already smell the applewood smoked pork butt on the grill and taste the Briggs Farm sweet corn.

6/05/09- The sweet corn at Briggs Farm Blues Festival qualifies as a must have. Last year someone told me they “would come for the corn alone”.  With that in mind we are attempting to make all of your eating experiences as memorable as the music and sweet corn.  Here is the basic menu so far;  fire roasted sweet corn, fresh cut French fries, BBQ chicken, slow smoked pulled pork, hot sausage, all slathered with Lonnie’s “Lick the Bone Sauce”, Grandma’s coleslaw, Strawberry shortcake, and pecan pie.  Grill master will be Bluesman Lonnie Shields cookin up Missippi style at Briggs Farm.  Lonnie will set up camp early to start smokin the pork butts and passin out samples to the setup crew.  For the campers on Saturday and Sunday morning we offer a southern farmer breakfast of biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, grits, and gallons of coffee.  

5/10/09-Check out our You Tube contest by clicking the VOTE NOW above.  You will be able to view the eight entrys that make up this year’s finalists.  Now it’s up to you to decide which video filmed at the 2008 Briggs Farm Blues Festival will win the Best Briggs Farm Video Award (BBFVA).  The only criteria for entering the contest was that Briggs Farm Blues had to be part of the title and the video had to be posted on You Tube so we could find it.  Anyone can vote.  Get your CAMPING tickets by Saturday night to take advantage of the early discount price.      

4/28/09 – It’s been beautiful and warm at Briggs Farm the past couple days.  Just a little more than 2 months till Briggs Farm 12!  The talent is all confirmed.  Camping tickets are selling like crazy so we are planting more grass in the fields that were corn fields last year.  We are making more space for those big campers that are sprouting up each year in alarming numbers!  Of course we all are getting excited about ALEXIS and her band starting up the festival and for Bruce Katz who has signed on to play keys with the band.  Bruce is a star in his own right, being nominated for a 2nd year in a row for the Blues Music Award for “piano player of the year.”  Undoubtedly, ALEXIS and her band are looking forward to sinking their teeth in the Briggs Farm sweet corn!  (And so am I!)  The early camping discount ticket price ends May 9.

3/27/09 -The MAIN STAGE LINEUP is now COMPLETE and we are thrilled to announce that blues and soul star ALEXIS P. SUTER will be starting off our 12th Blues Festival on Friday, July 10 at 4:30pm.  ALEXIS is one of the most powerful blues singers in the world and she has a wonderful spirit that people feel as soon as she walks on stage.  This is a fantastic addition to an already stellar lineup.  Check out all the bands on our lineup page.  Camping on Briggs Farm for the whole weekend of BLUES is the way to go.  Arrive Friday morning, set up a site with your friends and stake out a chair or blanket on the hill in front of the stage.  When the show is over Friday night walk back to your site and relax under the stars till bed time.  Saturday get ready to do it again.   It’s gonna be a smokin’ hot weekend at Briggs Farm!!! 

3/18/09 - THREE EXCITING NATIONAL ACTS BOOKED FOR FRIDAY, JULY 10.  The Friday Main-Stage line-up is nearly complete with the signing of JOEY GILMORE, TEENY TUCKER, and the SCOTT WEIS BAND. Joey Gilmore came to our attention at the 2008 Pocono Blues Festival.  He is a real-deal blues crowd pleaser.  See his video and bio on our line-up page. Teeny is a well-loved powerhouse blues vocalist, one of the best there is.  We have been trying to get the Scott Weis Band here since day one.  Scott is one of those performers who have that natural ability to connect with any audience.  Check out these acts for Friday night and also all the Saturday acts on the Line-Up page. TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE.  Take advantage of advance purchase prices and early camping discounts.         

1-29-09- The Saturday, July 11th  Main-Stage line up is now complete with the addition of Tom Larsen, Johnny Drummer & the Starliters, and BC & Company.  Tom is celebrating his 30th year in the blues with a new CD and Book out this year.  Johnny Drummer is a well known blues man out of Chicago playing traditional blues with a heavy soul influence.  Opening the Main-Stage on Saturday will be Bev Conklin “BC” recently presented with a Lehigh Valley Music Award for 20 years of Excellence in Music and Performance.  More on these bands and the Saturday night headliner, “Louisiana Red”, will be posted on our lineup page ASAP.

1-21-09-“LOUISIANA RED” has been signed to headline Saturday, July 11 on the main stage at Briggs Farm.  You can check out www.louisiana-red.com or www.earwigmusic.com/redshtml. We will get samples of Red’s music bio and videos on our lineup page asap.  Louisiana Red started his recording career in 1952 with recordings for Chess/Checker, where he was backed by Little Walker on Harp and Muddy Waters on Guitar. He has continued to record to date with recent releases on Earwig, Severn and Hightone.  We are very excited about this latest addition to the great blues masters who have played for you at Briggs Farm.  

1-16-09-Tickets to the July 10 & 11 Blues Fest are now available on-line and by mail order.  Be sure to take advantage of the early ordering discounts.  There is a great new venue in our area for live music called Nos’Trovia located on W. State Street in Coal Twp. (that’s next to Shamokin) live bands Fri. and Sat. nite.  For more information call Mary at 570-274-2864.

1-4-09- Happy New Year everybody!  First order of business is to book the main stage acts for 2009.  That will all happen by the end of January so check here for line-up announcements as we book them.  Tickets will go on sale Wed., January the 14th. .  Check out the youtube contest entries so far.  Just go to www.youtube.com and search Briggs Farm.  Let us know what you think.  It’s a new contest and we haven’t made up any rules yet except having Briggs Farm somewhere in the title. The youtube contest is still open for entries. Questions e-mail richard@briggsfarm.com

7-23-08 - More Festival Pictures - Complete galleries are now up in a Flickr gallery. Click here to see them. .

7-15-08 - Festival Pictures - The first set of pictures are up on our "photos" page. Click here to see them. .