Lockn' Music Festival ... Woodstock in the Blue Ridge?

 Lockn' Festival photo

The hills will echo this week with music, dancing, camping, and joyous celebrations as the huge Lockn' Music Festival takes place Thursday through Sunday in Nelson County, Virginia. Last-minute preparations are underway as organizers brace for thousands who have already bought tickets for this event that could turn into a Woodstock in the Blue Ridge Mountains for a whole new generation.

But don't take my word for it. Read what was in Ohio's Toledo City Paper:

The innaugural Lockn' festival is a jam-band fan's mecca—the penultimate gathering of the best improvisational bands from every corner of the country. You have Furthur representing the West Coast, String Cheese Incident bringing their Colorado style, Widespread Panic from south of the Mason-Dixie line, and Trey Anastasio traveling from the northern East Coast.

In TCP's opinion, this 'interlocking music festival' is shaping up to be the best party of the summer—the musical highlight of an already epic year.
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Nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lock'n is an 8 hour drive from Toledo, but it is a beautiful drive through one of the most scenic parts of the country. Festival organizers Dave Frey and Pete Shapiro shopped for locations around the U.S.—New York, California, North Carolina—before deciding on Virginia because of its 'intimate setting'. The festival's two stages stand side by side and will have interlocking performances all weekend—as soon as one band stops, the band on the opposite stage will begin.

For those of us in the central Shenandoah Valley, this four-day event is in our back yard, and only two hours from Richmond. Taking place from September 5-8, 2013, at the 5,000-acre Oak Ridge Farm, officials are expecting 25,000-30,000 people. Oak Ridge Farm is located off Rt. 29 halfway between Charlottesville and Lynchburg and, with the number of vehicles expected, exhaustive traffic plans have been made to avoid backups on Rt. 29, along with security and safety preparations.


The full lineup of musicians includes Zac Brown, the Black Crowes, and a number of other groups set to perform under the central Virginia sky.

The Lockn' Facebook page announced a pre-festival music party for Wednesday night, September 4, at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville.

To keep up with the latest details, follow Lockn' on Twitter.

Local vendors including food and craft beer will be available on-site. Nelson County is, after all, home of the famous Rt. 151 corridor featuring some of the finest and best-known vineyards, craft breweries, and food establishments in Virginia.

It will be an experience not forgotten anytime soon, if ever. If anyone takes photos and would like to share, I would love to post them on SWAC Girl. Send to swac.girl@gmail.com. Stay legal, safe, and have fun!