Jeff Austin poses at Sleepy Creek SpringDig in May 2019. (Photo by Chester Simpson)
Bluegrass musician Jeff Austin passed away in Seattle on Monday, according to reports. Jeff, 45, was a well-known performer in the DC metro area, where he frequently joined bluegrass and folk festivals like the Sleepy Creek SpringDig. Indeed, the Jeff Austin Band headlined the Sleepy Creek SpringDig at Sleepy Creek on the Potomac in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, in May.
Druid Hill Park in the wind after a storm during Charm City Bluegrass Festival. (Photo by Matt Ruppert)
Waking on Friday, the forecast indicated thunderstorms and heavy winds in the neighborhood of 3 to 7 o’clock. The hours passed slowly, work keeping me busy; periodic texts from my wife, little checks of the app, and nervous glances outside the windows of classrooms marked the passage of the clouds, the speed of the winds.
Black Masala lead a parade at Sleepy Creek SpringDig 2018. (Photo by Chester Simpson)
Sleepy Creek SpringDig returned May 4-6, 2018 for its fifth year to the region’s favorite family-friendly venue, Sleepy Creek on the Potomac in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. The annual camp-out offers a stellar line-up of local roots music and national superstars, with added attractions such as playgrounds and parades. Chester Simpson took some photos of this year’s Sleepy Creek SpringDig, and folk musician Sally Mae Foster wrote some words to accompany them!
Parklife DC 