Spend time Downtown during the annual Friends of the Refuge festival! Learn about the culture and history of our area and how it affects how we use the land, impress your friends when you can identify backyard birds and their call, enjoy crafts and Bluegrass music.
BirdFest & Bluegrass is a joint event planned in a partnership between the City of Ridgefield and the Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge that includes virtual and in-person activities, crafts, musical performances, and a Pickers Festival.
Downtown: Musical Performances, Pickers Festival, Vendors and Crafts
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULES
Venue: Ridgefield Craft Brewing Co. Taphouse, 120 N 3rd
4:00PM – Whiskey Deaf; The band is made up of talented and experienced bluegrass musicians who share a passion for finding and playing lesser known bluegrass and related music from the repertoires of first generation bluegrass, early country and old-time sources, and then giving it the Whiskey Deaf stamp.
Venue: 3rd Venue to be announced soon!
Venue: Sportsman’s Public House, 121 N Main Ave
1:00PM – Whistlin’ Rufus; Our music blends bluegrass, rock, acoustic melodies, and some classical influences to create a unique sound.
2:15PM – Hardshell Harmony
3:30PM – Fadin’ by 9; With hot pickin’, tight harmonies, and a mix of “bluegrassified” rock, folk, and bluegrass covers & originals, Fadin’ by 9 creates a unique, uplifting, high-energy sound that will keep your feet tapping all night long.
PICKERS FESTIVAL
A full list of designated indoor and outdoor bluegrass jamming spots will be shared soon in advance of the October festival.
VENDORS AND CRAFTS
Vendor Market: Ridgefield First Saturday vendors will be on site at Overlook Park from 9AM to 2PM. The vendor application and process are available on the First Saturday Vendor Page. The vendor fee is $25 and the deadline to apply is Wednesday, September 22nd. Please note the Overlook Park OUTDOOR market is the only vendor market planned in 2021.
Vendors confirmed for the 2021 Event: 4 Guys Homemade Gifts, Alpenrose, Clark County Historical Museum, Distinctive Hues Jewelry, Glenice Falter, Harvest of Peace Microgreens, HS Taekwondo, Raindrop Giftshop, Ridgefield American Legion Post 44, SherriFaheyCrocheted, Smoked PNW, US Army Vancouver Recruiting Company, Vancouver Chinese Association, Villages Clark County, Wild Goose Imagery.
Craft Tent: BirdFest crafts and activities will be available at the craft tent at Overlook Park.
The Refuge: Online Activities, Videos and Self-Guided Refuge Hike
BirdFest & Bluegrass Festival 2021: Back to the Refuge
BirdFest and Bluegrass is the main event every year that the Friends puts on to bring awareness to Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, and all that is has to offer. We celebrate the Sandhill Crane returning to the Refuge, a huge stately bird that is endangered in Washington State, and we celebrate everything the Refuge is and what it brings to the community. With endangered species, hundreds of migratory species, an auto tour route, photo blind, walking trails, the Cathlapotle Plankhouse, education and habitat restoration programs, and so much more – there is a lot to celebrate, and a lot to learn.
We are uniquely fortunate to have the Refuge as a resource right in our own backyard, and by learning not only how to appreciate the beauty, but the necessity of it, you come one step closer to being able to support it.
In 2020, we hosted this event completely online, so that now, you can go back and still virtually learn about the culture and the history of our area and how it affects how we use the land, or impress your friends when you can tell them what that backyard bird is saying.
In 2021 the Friends plan to do this event mostly virtually again, with some in-person in-town events, including vendors and music in Downtown Ridgefield, and a self-guided Refuge hike.
BirdFest & Bluegrass Festival 2021
The Friends website, ridgefieldfriends.org, and the BirdFest & Bluegrass Facebook page are the place for all the news, schedules, and everything you need to prepare for BirdFest & Bluegrass 2021.
If you want, you can still view the videos from our 2020 event from Saturday, October 3rd, 2020 on our Facebook. You don’t have to have a Facebook account in order to view any of the great content, now or in the future.
