Downtown Bristol will be rockin’ with live music, food and beverage vendors, plus games and fun, this Saturday, June 16, as the Pocock Rocks Music Festival & Street Fair takes over Main Street for the 9th year. Between 3 and 8 p.m., Bristol CORE will close off the main business block, set up tents up and down the middle of the road, and place stages at the east and west ends for a series of live musical performance by six top notch Vermont musical acts.
And if the music isn’t enough to satisfy, Pocock Rocks will also feature more than 30 vendors from microbrews, hard ciders and spirits, to specialty foods, gifts and crafts. There will also be the SunCommon Bouncy House, Vermont National Guard activities, and, of course, Bristol’s own incredible restaurants and shops.
Named for the town’s original name — “Pocock” — Saturday’s festival celebrates Bristol, Vt., as a great place to shop, dine, live, work and visit.
Six well-known and loved regional bands will provide entertainment through the afternoon and into the evening.
Addison County favorites Richard Ruane and Beth Duquette will kick-off the music at 3:30 p.m. with their original acoustic music with clear traditional roots. The Tim Brick Band will follow up at 4 p.m. This singer/songwriter/guitarist is the son of a hard-living long-distance trucker, and that is reflected in his music, which is said to have a soulful edge that isn’t afraid to get rowdy.
At 4:30, The Welterweights amp it up with pure Vermont rock ‘n’ roll. Every show is a unique mash up of local musicians led by singer songwriters Kelly Ravin and Lowell Thompson. Steady Betty will play a 45-minute show at 5:15. This all-female band plays a rocksteady beat that is danceable; they call themselves a soulful successor to ska, and the roots of reggae.
For a change of pace, the Eames Brothers Band takes the stage at 6 p.m. to perform a “late-night set” that drifts seamlessly through lowdown psychedelic blues funk to uplifting soul songs and back again. The night will be capped off at 7 p.m. with the well-loved trio The Starline Rhythm Boys. These “three old guys playin’ country” have been together for over 17 years, delivering a fine mix of honky-tonk and rockabilly tunes.
Money raised from the Pocock Rocks Music Festival & Street Fair supports the community-building efforts of Bristol CORE. Go celebrate Bristol and have a great time!
Saturday’s musical lineup:
3:30-4:00pm – Richard Ruane and Beth Duquette
4:00-4:30pm – The Tim Brick Band
4:30-5:00pm – The Welterweights
5:15-6:00pm – Steady Betty
6:00-7:00pm – The Eames Brothers Band
7:00-8:00pm – The Starline Rhythm Boys