Snapshots: Red Wing VI Roots Music Festival @ Natural Chimneys Park (Mt. Solon, VA)

Live Review

Snapshots: Red Wing VI Roots Music Festival @ Natural Chimneys Park (Mt. Solon, VA) — 7/13-7/15/18

Chester Simpson

July 20, 2018

Snapshots: Red Wing VI Roots Music Festival @ Natural Chimneys Park (Mt. Solon, VA) — 7/13-7/15/18 — The Steel Wheels - Red Wing VI Roots Music Festival July 14, 2018

The Steel Wheels – Red Wing VI Roots Music Festival July 14, 2018

The Steel Wheels perform at Red Wing Roots Festival in Natural Chimneys Park on July 14, 2018. (Photo by Chester Simpson)

Year after year, The Red Wing Roots Music Festival just keeps getting better and better! And the latest edition, on July 13-15, in Mount Solon, Virginia, was the best yet.

It’s like a big family reunion in an intimate setting, held under the shade of trees in Natural Chimney, located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. This gathering of music and souls is a yearly retreat for friends and families to play and hear music from different areas of the world.

The Steel Wheels, a local musical group from Harrisonburg, Virginia, host The Red Wings Music Festival, and the band started it in 2013.

The band wished to showcase numerous music genres and explore the roots of American music like blues, country, bluegrass, gospel, Cajun, and zydeco in all forms. In the spirit of passion, and creativity they put the right components into a weekend to celebrate some of the greatest music that brings people together in the great outdoors.

Trent Wagler of The Steel Wheels family said:

The name “Red Wing” came from a tune I first learned from my grandfather, Henry Wagler. He grew up an Amish boy in Southern Indiana and “Red Wing” was one of his favorite tunes he played on his harmonica. Before he left the Amish community, he and some of his friends were known to hide guitars and banjos in the hay barn, because in their community instruments were forbidden. At night, they would bring out the instruments and play music as an ad hoc Amish party band.

Families are welcome, with lots of activities.

The Red Wing Roots community has scheduled fun family activities like hoop dance workshops, yoga, runs, hikes, bike rides and kids’ activities with fresh water available, plus a beer garden for the adults.

Thanks to the Steel Wheels, staff and volunteers, musicians, sponsors and vendors, and attendees who make it all happen!

All photos by Chester Simpson.

John Moreland