Pickin’ on the Cashie: New music festival in the east offers picking and paddling
Pickin’ on the Cashie was born like a phoenix from the ashes of beloved festivals that came to an end in recent years, like Bass Mountain (or Lil’ John’s) Festival in Snow Camp and Preddyfest in Franklinton. Scheduled for April 11-13 on the banks of the Cashie River, about an hour’s drive north of Greenville in Windsor, the weekend offers plenty of bluegrass bands, fishing, kayaking, and camping.
“I’ve been playing music for about 47 years and kind of got into bluegrass about 30 years ago,” organizer John White says. “I got into different festivals and I’ve seen quite a few go away. I got the idea that it would be nice to have something in eastern North Carolina.”
John White leads one of the bands performing, John White and Steel Mountain Railroad. He says he and some friends from another band in eastern North Carolina got their heads together and thought they would try to launch a new festival and see if the public would support it.
“It’s a great thing for the kids to get into,” White says. “I’ve been to a lot of events and I’m seeing the younger generation starting to pick this music up. It’s really starting to take off.”
When White talks about packing not only stringed instruments, but fishing poles, due the festival’s prime positioning on the banks of the Cashie River in Bertie County, his voice has the distinctive drawl of a native North Carolinian. He pronounces the river Ca-shy.”When asked about the linguistic paradox of the “ie” in the river name being enunciated differently than the “ie” in the county name, which is pronounced Ber-Tee, he laughs. The colloquialisms rank right up there with the small town in Edgecombe County spelled “Conetoe,” pronounced kanita.
But the high, lonesome sound of bluegrass isn’t the only reason to consider the festival a vacation destination. In addition to primitive camping on-site, Windsor also boasts a treehouse village, for those seeking an elevated camping experience along the river. The Cashie River in Windsor is one of the few rivers that begins and ends in the same county, roughly 55 miles long, with about 25 of it being navigable. It’s a river with a story, from steamboats to Union-Confederate conflict. It’s home to the San Souci Ferry, one of three cable ferries that still operate in North Carolina. It can transport 2 vehicles at a time, and dates back to the 1700s when it was called Tomlinson’s Ferry. Historians report that a post office was established in the early 1800s near the ferry site. When the Postal Service asked the landowner what he would like the office called, he responded, “I don’t care,” so they named it “San Souci,” which is French for “without a care.”
The outdoor festival is being held on a small farm, White explains, that has a cabin out by the river. On Friday the lineup includes Jesse Burdick and Auld Country from Smithfield, Virginia, and In Between Bluegrass from Blackstone, Virginia. Saturday features a lineup of 5 bands, including John White and Steel Mountain Railroad from Roanoke Rapids; Blue Drive from South Boston, Virginia; Shannon Baker and Sometime Soon from Wilson; Screamin’ Bridge from Farm Life; and Hammaville from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. On Sunday morning a bluegrass gospel service will be held from 10am until noon.
Justin Edwards plays in one of the bands on the lineup, Screamin’ Bridge. “Screamin’ Bridge is very excited to have a bluegrass festival this close to home,” Edwards says. “Eastern North Carolina is not known for the festival scene found in Virginia and Western North Carolina, so we’d really love to show our friends and neighbors just how fun these festivals can be. Bluegrass isn’t just a type of music, it’s a lifestyle. Also, it’s best heard live, so we encourage you to come out. Bring a tent, bring your family, bring an instrument.”
Pickin’ on the Cashie might be a brand new music festival, but set on the banks of a lazy river with a lot of history, attendees may find that a weekend “without a care” is just what they needed.
If you go
The festival is at 110 Hoggard Mill Rd, Windsor, April 11-13, with camping available starting at 2pm on April 10. If purchased in advance by March 20, tickets are $50 for the entire weekend. After that, $60.. Children 15 and under are free. Bring your own bag chair. Camping for the whole festival with no service or hookups is $25 for tents, $35 for RVs. The event is rain or shine.
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Originally published in the Daily Reflector March 15, 2025.
