Appel Farm Arts & Music Fest

Mac and I went to the Appel Farm Arts and Music Festival this past weekend. It turned out to be a pretty good day. One of the highlights was getting to make a mosaic tile that will become part of the border of an outdoor mural that will go on the camp's dining hall. We only got one ticket to do this, so we had to work together, which was really fun. The mirror swirl was already there, Mac did the red tiles and I did the blue, green and purple tiles. We did this during the sunniest, hottest part of the day and it was so nice to sit under a shaded tent and feel the breeze.

After eating some lunch and making the tile, we headed back to the blanket that we had put down when we first arrived to see an afternoon packed with music. Thankfully the sun went behind some clouds and there was a nice breeze for most of the afternoon. Sadly, the beer tent ran out of beer before we could get any of the local Flying Fish brews and we had to settle for a late-afternoon Sierra Nevada instead.

The first act that we saw was Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. They are a great funk and soul band and Sharon Jones is quite the energetic leader. She did a great song showing off all of the classic soul moves including the Funky Chicken, the Mashed Potato, the Soul Train, and others. It was really an energetic set.

After Sharon Jones, Buddy Miller played a short set to open for Patty Griffin. He's a great singer/songwriter, but I have to admit that Patty Griffin was the star of that show for me.

And finally, the whole reason I wanted to come to Appel Farm was to hear Patty Griffin! She is one of my favorite performers and she didn't disappoint. She is not only a great songwriter, but a talented guitar player as well. She always puts on a great live show. Here she is singing on a song with Buddy Miller:

And here she is rockin' out on guitar on one of her own tunes. Note the amazing shoes. She always has wonderful shoes, and has even written a song about shoes. And her one love song, Heavenly Day, which she played, was actually written for her dog, but it's a truly beautiful song. I highly recommend going out and seeing her if she comes through your town.

The last band to play was The Avett Brothers. I wasn't as familiar with their tunes as with Patty Griffin's, but they were very energetic and clearly passionate about what they were doing. They seemed to have a good time and their fans were really into it, too.

We ended up leaving before their set was over to beat the crowd and because sitting in a field all day was not helping our allergies at all. After packing up the car and turning on the A/C we headed out of Elmer and straight up to Collingswood, NJ to have dinner at The Pop Shop! I first heard about this place on the Food Network when Bobby Flay did a Grilled Cheese throwdown here. And let me tell you, the grilled cheese was outstanding! I had the East Zane grilled cheese which was brie, grilled asparagus and pesto on a french baguette. Mac had the Cajun Benedict (they serve breakfast all day) and was not disappointed. I'm looking forward to going back sometime soon.