11.15.07

Dear Friends,

On behalf of the Board of the Spanish Moss Foundation, I wish to thank you, most sincerely, for all your heartfelt emails, phone calls, letters and photographs we have received since Down on the Farm 3 – A Celebration of Music, Art & Philanthropy, held this time last year here on the Spanish Moss Farm. We only wish that we had the manpower to thoughtfully respond to each of you in a timely fashion. Please know your kind words and enthusiastic inquiries have not gone unnoticed. As you know, the Spanish Moss Foundation is a small, grass roots, non-profit, volunteer organization. Through ups and downs, with much cause for celebration, and much need for continued hard work, your gestures of thanks and support have been received with open arms. We particularly want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our annual Members and Sponsors from years one (2004), two (2005), and three (2006).

As most of you know, Spanish Moss is taking the year off from producing Down on the Farm this year to recharge our batteries and do some strategic planning. (And our hosts who own the Farm are grateful for the quiet family time.) It’s no secret – last year – with all its glory - was a particularly challenging year for us, and while Down on the Farm 3 was indeed exactly one full year ago, it seems to us that is only recently came to a close.

For Members and Sponsors of the Spanish Moss Foundation and for Down on the Farm patrons, it may seem that Spanish Moss has been dormant since last fall. On the contrary, we have been in full force, albeit behind the scenes, focusing our volunteer development efforts on soliciting Major and Leadership Gifts from our Board and Special Friends. Such gifts have enabled the Foundation to make contributions to our worthy charitable causes, and to facilitate our operating costs for the Foundation itself, and for Down on the Farm. As many of you know, a non-profit organization and its annual fund-raising event take time to build, and success (though measured in many ways beyond the fiduciary) takes time.

I am pleased to share with you the news of our progress toward this end. Since November 2006 we have received two major gifts and one leadership gift, each from donors who wish to remain anonymous both by name and giving level. Due to the generosity from each of these donors, we have been able to make gifts to many worthy charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity of New Orleans, the Gadsden County Public School Music Programs, The Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Tennessee, The Leon County Schools Foundation, America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend, The Tipitina’s Foundation, Goodwill Industries, The Salvation Army, Kate’s Club, Hannah's Buddies Charity Classic/John Bell & Friends Benefit Bash, and The Joy of Sharing holiday giving program in Fulton County (Atlanta, GA).

I realize from some of your inquiries that there lies some confusion about the outcomes of our annual fund raising event: Down on the Farm – A Celebration of Music, Art, and Philanthropy. Despite our fundraising efforts through our annual giving program (Members and Sponsors), and of course ticket sales, the festival – as an event – unfortunately lost money for three consecutive years. After struggling with this issue for some time, the Board made a unanimous decision to move forward with a significant change in our festival leadership team. We have worked hard to resolve some challenges that lingered. For example, you may recall that for Down on the Farm 2, it was advertised that $5 from every ticket sold would go directly to Habitat for Humanity of New Orleans. That means $5 for 1,461 tickets sold, which comes to a commitment of $7305 to Habitat. To accomplish this, we looked to our major and leadership donors (those same board members and special friends referenced above) for help. It is from the generosity of these three donors that the SMF has been able to honor its commitment to Habitat (and others). Our hearts continue to go out to our friends and neighbors in New Orleans (many of whom are Down on the Farm veteran artists, patrons, and members), and all along the Gulf Coast. We thank you for remembering these folks who still have a long road ahead, and will need your help for a good long while yet.

A large portion of the dollars raised this year toward operating costs for the Foundation and for Down on the Farm have gone toward Down on the Farm staff who have helped us build the festival for three years running. You know who you are – and we thank you, once again! Your comradery, loyalty, professionalism, energy, enthusiasm and hard work are sorely missed this time of year. For the purpose of clarification, the SMF operates only by hard working volunteers – no paid staff members.

We hope this information and update has been helpful. Please know that you are all missed this year – whether your role in past Down on the Farms has been one of Member, Sponsor, Patron, Child, Vendor, Artist, Staff, Production Manager, EMS Professional, Nurse On-Call, Camp Fire Song Leader, Community Leader in Quincy/Gadsden County, Box Office Agent, Food Donor, Trash Collector, Green-ing Volunteer, Tractor Driver, Skydiver, SMF Sports Lounge Bartender, Stage Hand, Press Representative, Local Radio DJ, Runner, Caterer, Carpenter, Electrician, Kids Tent Caregiver, Board Member, Sound Professional, Program Designer, Street Teamer, Band Tour Manager, Bus Driver, Security Guard, Law Enforcement, or SMF Board Member – you name it – each one of you has played a role in our success – and in our wonderful memories of the past three years. We will cherish these memories close to our hearts. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! We hope very much to be back the same weekend as always in November 2008 – on the Spanish Moss Farm – where it all began. (See attached original invitation for the “real” first Down on the Farm; we’ve come a long way, baby!)

As always, we welcome your questions and comments. Please feel free to contact us at info@spanishmossfoundation.org , info@spanishmossproductions.org, or info@downonthefarmfestival.org .

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy, safe, and meaningful Thanksgiving,
Sarah L. McCoy
Executive Director & Founder

09.27.07
In response to your email messages, the SMF wishes to make it clear that we are in no way associated with what was an unofficial Down on the Farm MySpace page last fall, formerly entitled Down on the Farm, that contained DOTF 3 information from last year. We have not used this page since November 2006, at which point an individual no longer affiliated with Spanish Moss fraudulently changed its user name and log on information. We appreciate your concerns and have been in dialogue with MySpace about this issue. Many thanks for your consideration.

We also wish to make a correction to a recent public announcement made, in which another event fraudulently represents itself as the “former Down on the Farm.” We are in NO way associated with this event, and reciprocally, it is in NO way associated with Down on the Farm.
 
In the mean time, we are working hard to personally respond to more than 2000 emails from the public so that we may make an official announcement about DOTF 4 and the future of Spanish Moss.  We recognize that we have not yet posted an announcement this fall, as promised in July, and that time is of the essence, and we assure you we are doing the best we can with our volunteer efforts. Thank you for your enthusiasm!

Please be sure to support our friends both up and down the road, where many of the same hard working folks who brought you Down on the Farm the past three years will be hard at work with smiling faces!
 
October 12-14th: The Echo Project
http://thechoproject.com/
 
October 25th-28th: Magnolia Fest
http://www.magmusic.com/magnolia.htm

07.01.07
Thanks so much for all your emails, phone calls, and interest in DOTF 4 this November. Stay tuned for an important announcement! Enjoy your summer and stay cool…

12.12.06
The Spanish Moss General Store is now online! Click here to browse our extensive selection of merchandise which includes hats, t-shirts, and KAVU visors! They're perfect for the holidays, and help support the good work our Foundation.

12.09.06
The Spanish Moss Foundation is attempting to reach a Samuel “Dwayne” Butler, regarding Down on the Farm 3. Dwayne – please be sure you follow up with us immediately. Thank you.

12.06.06
Read the heartfelt thank you letter from the folks at America's Second Harvest for the support they received from DOTF 3.

11.28.06
Did you lose something while at Down on the Farm 3? Click here for the Lost and Found list.

11.22.06
The Spanish Moss Foundation wishes to thank everyone who participated in Down on the Farm 3. Here’s the scoop from the food, clothing, and instrument drives we held: We collected 162lbs. of food for America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend (just in time for Thanksgiving), several large bags of clothing for Good Will of Quincy (it’s getting chilly), and a beautiful old Brazilian guitar that the Gadsden County Public School Music Programs will put to good use. Many thanks to all those who took that extra step beyond purchasing a Down on the Farm ticket, and gave of themselves to those who need it most. Happy Thanksgiving!

11.7.06
Don’t forget to vote! You can’t complain about politics and the world today if you don’t vote!

11.3.06
Hi, folks. We’ve received a large number of requests from those of you interested in becoming Individual Members of the Spanish Moss Foundation. We will be accepting new members right up to the last minute, although we gratefully appreciate your taking care of your membership as soon as you possibly can. Doing so will ensure a smooth processing, with less hassle at the Box Office.

10.30.06
If you purchased a ticket for DOTF 3 and want to give your tickets to someone else to pick up at the Spanish Moss Box Office Will Call, please do the following.  (1) Make a photo copy of your drivers license and the card you used to make the ticket purchase. (2) Blacken out all the numbers of the card except for the last four digits, and the expiration date (for your own security). (3) Write one sentence saying “I authorize ….. to pick up my tickets on my behalf at the Spanish Moss Box Office Will Call at Down on the Farm 3,” and sign your name. Thank you!

10.24.06
IT’S HERE – JUST WHAT YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR!
Line-Up schedule announced: http://www.downonthefarmfestival.com/line-up.

10.19.06
BREAKING NEWS!
Spanish Moss is proud to announce the Down on the Farm 3 Artists at Large: Kofi Burbridge, Jeff Coffin, and Futureman! We are also pleased to announce two additions to the line up: South Munroe (of Quincy/Tallahassee, FL) and The Sensua Players (of Atlanta, GA). The Sensua Players will be conducting two drumming clinics – one for adults and one for young ones. They will also be performing for us in the evening with fire dancers! Welcome new Down on the Farm 3 artists!

TONIGHT IN ATLANTA!
For those of you in the Atlanta area, please stop by Smithe's Olde Bar tonight between 7PM-11PM for the DOTF3 Regional Round-up. Spanish Moss Productions and Sweetwater Brewery will be there with drink specials and giveaways in The Atlanta Room. Colonel Bruce Hampton and friends will be playing from 8PM till 11Pm. Buy your DOTF3 festival pass this evening and get tonight's $7 cover charge reimbursed by SMP.
 
10.18.06
Who says Friday the 13th is unlucky! We gave you 5 extra days to get your tickets at $90 and hope that was helpful to those of you who missed the $75 early bird tickets and are on a budget – particularly the students of the world. As of today, DOTF III tickets are officially $100 (as promised last Friday). They will be $110 at the gate, so get yours now!

10.11.06
Be sure to get your tickets today at the $90 ticket price. They go up to $100 at midnight this Friday the 13th! Ooooooohhhh…. Scary!

10.07.06
Happy Birthday to Melissa Hudgens of Tallahassee, Florida (via Chapel Hill, North Carolina). Melissa created the Spanish Moss logo through Leafy Greens Design - Leafy Greens is a Founding Sponsor of the Spanish Moss Foundation. Thank you, Melissa! We are grateful for your talent, creativity, and generosity.

10.06.06
Happy Birthday to Spanish Moss Foundation Founding Member JJ Tomlinson of Columbus, Georgia (via Atlanta). Widespread Panic and Susan Tedeschi must like you an awful lot to play for you on your birthday weekend! Spanish Moss folks in Atlanta – be sure to stop by The Fickle Manor - JJ”s clothing boutique in the VA Highlands. Thank you for your support, JJ, in its third year running.

10.04.06
Happy Birthday to Deani Joiner Pahl in Columbus, Georgia!

09.26.06
We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced using American Express as a method of payment on our live online ticket purchasing page. It’s been fixed!

09.25.06
This is an announcement for everyone who purchased Early Bird tickets by sending in an order form from the website (this was prior to us getting our online live shopping cart set up). Please do not assume that we did not receive your order only because you have not received a confirmation. There is no need to purchase more tickets online thinking we did not get your original order form. If you faxed it in, and you got a confirmation page, we got it. If you emailed it to Sarah, she got it. We regret that we received far too many orders to make contact with each one of you at the time of receipt. Some of these orders have been processed (credit cards charged), and some have yet to be processed. Please watch your credit card statement to see when the charge goes through. Rest assured, they will all go through before you show up at the festival. Thanks for your patience!

This is an announcement to everyone who has purchased tickets online with our live shopping cart. If you received an email last week saying that your order has been shipped, please ignore this message. This only meant that your card had been charged/order had been processed. All tickets will be waiting for you at will call – which is the same place you have to check in to enter the property (car pass, wrist band, etc.). Please do not think this is going to take more time than it would if you had your tickets in hand. It’s all the same line. Again – we are doing things “old school” to save you money on ticket costs. We operate on a TINY staff and we REALLY appreciate your patience!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! See you DOWN ON THE FARM!

09.15.06
The Early Bird Tickets pricing ends tonight at midnight. Get your orders in now!

09.12.06
Down on the Farm III tickets are now available live at DOTF III Tix. Early Bird tickets are still on sale thru this Friday,  September 15th, for $75. Git yer tickets now, y'all!

09.06.06

Happy Birthday to Spanish Moss Foundation Founding Member & Quincy native - Brian Edwards! Happy Birthday, Brian! See you Down on the Farm.

08.31.06

Happy Birthday to Spanish Moss Foundation Founding Member - Miss Ginny Staples of Atlanta, Georgia! Happy Birthday, Ginny! Have a FABULOUS day celebrating!

08.30.06

Our thanks to Chris Hayward for setting up our new page on MySpace.com! Check it out!

08.15.06

Spanish Moss would like to take a moment to thank a few folks who have loaned us their skills and expertise along the way.

Our friend and colleague Steve Stein, JD, MBA, who was with us during our inaugural year, has been a great source of legal know-how, business savvy, friendship and humor. We'd like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Steve for his many contributions to Spanish Moss, and wish him all the very best in his future endeavors. Thank you, Steve! We miss your marvelous "sense" of humor already!

Freelance designer Ben Johnson of Houseboat Studio has wrapped things up with Spanish Moss to concentrate on his full time career commitments and spend more time with his family. We thank Ben for his talent, hard work, and dedication to Spanish Moss since the inception of our website, and we wish him well.

Long time friend and lover of music Ryan Gravatt, founder and owner of Quicksilver Internet Solutions out of Austin, Texas, has been a great source of support and knowledge over the last few years and we thank him.

Thank you to Brian and Debbie Burgess and all the musicians who coordinated a great event and shared their talents at the Warehouse last April for "A Musing Revival."

Thanks to Tucker and the Warehouse crew for being the unofficial Tallahassee headquarters for Spanish Moss! ;)

We have many wonderful volunteers. Special thanks go out to Ty, Whit, Saira, Tyler, and Sierra.

08.14.06

Happy Anniversary to Olivia & Alan Comerton of Belfast, Northern Ireland!

08.13.06

We are so excited about DOTF III and thank you all for your interest, enthusiasm, and patience. We recently recovered a great deal of data and about 1,700 emails (going back to March) that we lost during a major database overhaul. We are responding to each message, one by one, trying our best to give you the individualized customer service you deserve. Again - we thank you - and look forward to seeing you at DOWN ON THE FARM!

08.10.06

Today we remember the life and music of Michael Houser: January 6, 1962 - August 10, 2002.

08.09.06

Tickets are available for purchase through our website by clicking on the DOWN ON THE FARM link > [ BUY TICKETS ONLINE ] (thru InHouseTicketing). We are working on our new, updated online Spanish Moss General Store, where you'll soon be able to make a gift to the Spanish Moss Foundation in honor of a friend or family member's Birthday, Graduation, Engagement, Marriage, Birth of a Child, you name it. All great causes for celebration, all in the name of good causes. You'll also be able to buy merchandise: posters, t-shirts, visors, baseball caps, coozies, etc. And, of course, tickets to DOWN ON THE FARM 3. Thank you for your support! We can't do it without YOUR help. Spread the word!

08.08.06

Happy Birthday to Spanish Moss Foundation Member and dear friend, Leo Bull!

08.07.06

Oops! We almost forgot to share some wonderful news with you! The Spanish Moss Foundation is the proud recipient of the 2004 Governor's Community Investment Award, signed by Governor Jeb Bush, and Anthony Schembri, Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice. The award reads, "Presented to the Spanish Moss Foundation - Nominated by the Gadsden County School Board - In appreciation of your efforts and initiative in supporting juvenile justice programs, the citizens of Florida are honored to recognize you for your leadership in the business community for helping Florida's highest-risk youths find positive alternatives to crime. We would like to thank the Gadsden Co. School Board and the Governor's Office for this prestigous award, as well as SMF volunteer and DOTF II Vending Coordinator Mrs. Debbie Burgess for recognizing the SMF as an eligible candidate.

08.03.06

Happy Birthday to Mark Comerton of Belfast, Northern Ireland/Edinburgh, Scotland!

08.01.06

Happy Birthday to the late, great Jerry Garcia: August 1, 1942 - August 9, 1995.

07.29.06

Happy Birthday to Bill Simrell of Union City, Tennessee AND Happy Anniversary to Bill and his beautiful wife Linda Jewel!

07.27.06

 Congratulations to dear friend and Director of the Tipitina's Foundation in New Orelans - Bill Taylor - and his fiancée Tiffany - on their engagement! In their honor, and with thanks to Billy for his hard work and dedication toward New Orleans music - particularly since the devastation of Katrina - the Spanish Moss Foundation makes a gift of $100 to the Tipitina's Foundation. We are always proud to welcome Tipitina's Foundation NOLA artists to the Spanish Moss family.

07.19.06

Happy Birthday to Doug Pahl of Columbus, Georgia who is currently away from his beautiful family, staffed with the United States army as an orthopedic surgeon in a combat support hospital in Salerno, Afghanistan. We miss you, Doug, and look forward to your safe return.

07.14.06

Please pardon our technical difficulties. Tickets will be on sale via the Spanish Moss General Store as soon as possible. Thank you for your interest in Spanish Moss and Down on the Farm III! See you in November!

07.03.06
Happy Birthday to Toni McCoy and Happy 1st Birthday to Cate Hudgens!

06.30.06

As the Spanish Moss Foundation completes its second fiscal year in operation (July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006), we are proud to report on increased progress. We held a number of events: Picnic in the Park (July 2005) - hosted in conjunction with Quincy locals - DJ Cadillac Joe and Michael Shirley, Freedom on the Farm (July 2005), Down on the Farm 2 (November 2005), Women Rock! (March 2006) – hosted in conjunction with the Refuge House, and the 2nd Annual Big Bend Charity Fools Fest (April 2006). During our second year, we raised a total of $15,005 for charitable gifts. Down on the Farm 2 raised $7,305 for Habitat for Humanity for Hurricane Katrina Relief in the Ninth Ward neighborhood of New Orelans and the Chalmette suburb of New Orleans, $100 for Gadsden County Public Schools Music Programs, approximately 400 pounds of food for America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend food banks and five large bags of clothes for the Salvation Army of Tallahassee. Women Rock! raised $7,000 for the Refuge House. The 2nd Annual Big Bend Charity Fools Fest raised $500 for the Leon County Schools Foundation toward music programs and approximately 100 pounds of food for America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend food banks. Once again, we thank each one of you for your collaborative efforts in making our second year stronger than our first. We look forward to a bright future!

06.13.06

Happy 37th Birthday to Paul Levine!

06.01.06

Early bird tickets for DOTF III are now on sale! Spanish Moss Productions and the Spanish Moss Foundation are pleased and proud to announce the initial line-up for Down On The Farm III, to be held Friday, November 10th through Sunday, November 12th, 2006 on the Spanish Moss Farm. Please check the website regularly as we announce more headliners and many more bands to this already excellent musical program...

MOFRO

Tishamingo

Perpetual Groove

PBS (George Porter Jr., Russell Batiste and Brian Stolz)

The Avett Brothers

Dubconscious

Cadillac Jones

The Legendary JC's

The Motet

Dread Clampitt

Stillwood

Full Black Out

Polyester Pimpstrap

Rebecca Jean Smith

Panhandle String Band

Soular System

Space Medicine

Charlotte Kendrick (with Dan Rowe)

Donna Hopkins Band

Ralph Roddenbery Band

Deep Blue Sun

Jamie McLean Band (lead guitar player from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band)

Brother Bean

Shak Nasti

Burnin Smyrnans

JB & The Zydeco Zoo

Catfish Alliance (including former members of the Riverbottom Nightmare Band)

Curious Circus

The Gospel Choir of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest, Tennessee (Union City Club)

 * For more information on this year's event, visit www.DownOnTheFarmFestival.com!

05.26.06

Down On The farm 3 will happen at Spanish Moss Farm November 10th-12th, 2006. An initial artist line-up and ticket information will be posted shortly. Stay tuned for more!

Last year's line-up

04.23.06

A note from two of our wonderful volunteers, Brian and Debbie Burgess:

We want all of you to be involved in this very special event… Please pass any info you can to your e-friends and plan to attend.  Bring a friend and bring your family!

A MUSING REVIVAL

Smokin’ Non-Smokin Shows for the Family and for the Benefit of Spanish Moss Productions Sunday, April 23 @ The Warehouse 3pm-11pm

Musicians from within Tallahassee and surrounding areas are joining together in support of Spanish Moss Productions, the not for profit organization which hosts the Down On The Farm Festival, as well as other charitable events.  Basically, the theme is this… Spanish Moss is the best thing to happen for the music community in Tallahassee.  We’re inviting fans of music to support the local music scene by supporting those who support it.  This communal entity, which is Spanish Moss Productions, has shown tremendous support and given undeniable momentum to many of the region’s local acts and artists.  In turn, this is an opportunity for musicians to give their gracious support to Spanish Moss.  We’ll all be paying dues, to the Muse, for the Farm. While we may or may not be able to raise much in actual funds, I’m hoping that we’ll lend an awareness and momentum to both Spanish Moss and DOWN ON THE FARM.  This series of shows (“A Musing Revival” and “A Musing Revival, Too” <end of September>) will focus on a drive to increase individual memberships from within the community. A Musing Revival is an event suitable for, and catered to the entire family.  Patrons are invited to share a full day and night of food, music, and family.  Tickets will be available at the door for $8 and food will be available for purchase.  Children enter for free.  All proceeds are to benefit the Spanish Moss Foundation. Smoking will not be permitted as it is a family affair.   

The lineup is as follows:

3pm:  (Acoustic) A Musing Jam

4pm:  The Panhandle String Trio

5:15pm:  The New 76’ers (Danny & Kelly Goddard w/ Brian Durham)

6:30pm:  Zydeco Zoo

8pm:  Curious Circus (featuring Avis Berry)

10pm:  (Electric) A Musing Jam

Musicians involved include:

CURIOUS CIRCUS

Avis Berry, Brian Burgess, Scott Campbell, Dave Pickett - original Johari Window member, JB - John Babbage: ZYDECO ZOO, Scott Grudman - from Polyester Pimpstrap, Brian Durham - Dead Keys & Tallahassee Blues Band, Danny Goddard – Stillwood,  Kelly Goddard - Dead Keys & The New 76’ers, Kevin Robertson - Panhandle String Trio

PANHANDLE STRING TRIO

Kevin Robertson - Panhandle String Band, Mickey Abraham - Panhandle String Band, Mike Snelling - Panhandle String Band

THE NEW 76’ers

Brian Durham - Blue Moon, Dead Keys, & Tallahassee Blues Band, Danny Goddard - Stillwood, Blue Moon, & Solo, Kelly Goddard - Blue Moon, Dead Keys, & Solo

ZYDECO ZOO

JB, Missippy James, Jiggs Walker, Martin Guilbeau, Keith “Snoflake” McCraw

PLUS… We expect a few additional guest musicians from the community.

At times, most of these people will be on stage TOGETHER!  You never know what might go down beneath the ‘Big Top’… I hope you find it as

interesting/exciting as we do!

This event also extends an opportunity to become more informed about the Spanish Moss Foundation, whose philosophy is to raise money for music scholarship, ecology, and community.  People who would like to learn more about Spanish Moss Productions events and good causes may visit www.spanishmossproduction.org online.

Lots ‘o’ Light,

Brian "Papa Kalapa" Burgess

04.12.06:

Happy Birthday to Spanish Moss artist, member, and dear old school friend, Cameron Williams!

03.22.06

FOOL'S FEST - Mar.30th, 31st & Apr.1st

Come on down to the WAREHOUSE for 3 Nights packed full of LIVE Music. Presented by Spanish Moss, Gulf 104, and Plus One Presents. All proceeds will benefit Leon County High School music programs. $15 Dollar Weekend Pass (available at the door only). 

FOOD DRIVE Please bring non-perishable food items for donation to the Second Harvest of the Big Bend Food Drive!!

Thursday - 03.30.06 (Reggae Nite)

-Trial By Stone

-Passafire

Doors @ 9:00 - $5

Friday - 03.31.06

-Brian Burgess & Avis Berry

-Polyester Pimpstrap

(Intergalactic Extravaganza)

Doors @ 9:00 - $6

Saturday - 04.01.06

-Scott Campbell & Kevin Robertson

-Sharla June & The Mayhaws

-Cadillac Jones

Doors @ 7:00 - $10

03.18.06

Women Rock! music festival to benefit the Refuge House is this weekend at Spanish Moss Farm. Click here for more info.

03.17.06

If you’ve got Georgia on your mind this St. Patrick’s day, go to the Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points of Atlanta to see TISHAMINGO tear it UP! Show them your support, Spanish Moss style. Go here to for more information and to buy tickets, or visit www.tishamingo.com.

03.12.06

Happy 22nd Birthday to Spanish Moss Student Liaison – Whit Remer. Whit has been our #1 volunteer since the first Down on the Farm, and we appreciate all his hard work and enthusiasm. We also believe him to be quite trend setter. Wearing your visor upside down and crooked is 'in' Whit, and don’t let anyone tell you differently! It’s nice of our friends at Langerado to throw you your very own birthday weekend music festival.

02.03.06

WOMEN ROCK!

March 18th @ Spanish Moss Farm

Women Rock! is a music festival to benefit the Refuge House, a domestic violence and rape crisis program serving 8 counties of North Florida. Created in honor of Women's History Month, Women Rock! will feature many local, regional and nationally-known women musicians, bands and spoken word artists, all of whom have empowering lyrics and powerful messages. This all-day festival will include many different genres of music, from jazz to bluegrass and from acoustic guitar to rock, and will feature several different artists, such as Dar Williams, Alix Olson, Holly Near, Chris Pureka, Bethany Cavano, Carmita and The Rest. Open to the entire community, Women Rock! is an event for everyone to listen, uphold and echo the voices of women. Visit womenrockbenefit.org for more info.

01.18.06

We want to wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2006 is going to be a great one. Can ya feel it? We can!

We wanted to let all you SMF Members know we have not forgotten you. With all the wrap up from Down on the Farm II, and the Holidays, we are a bit behind with database entry and gift acknowledgments. If you are already prepared to file your 2005 taxes and have not yet received your charitable gift receipt, please email Sarah directly at sarah@spanishmossproductions.org. The 2005-2006 Member List will be posted soon as well. If you missed the announcement that Member Goodie Bags were in the SMF Members/Artists Lounge (the Tractor Barn) at DOTF II (sorry they were not at membership check-in in time), please send Sarah a note and she will gladly mail yours to you. Thank you so much for your patience with our volunteer efforts. We appreciate each and every one of you, and without you our work would simply not be possible.

12.28.05

We need your help, folks. At Down on the Farm II, we had an unfortunate thing happen. A very special original painting of Warren Haynes that was signed at the Farm by Warren went missing from the Tobacco Barn, which was backstage for our artists. During the course of Saturday night, someone let him/herself into the Barn, and “borrowed” the painting, as well as our signed DOTF II posters, which were to be auctioned off for our charities. Our dear friend Marc Porter worked hard to commission artist Bryan Hand to do the painting so that Marc could present his now fiancée Britany with the as an engagement gift, in addition to her beautiful ring. You may recall Marc’s proposal on stage Saturday at sunset with Full Blackout before we celebrated with the Allman Brothers’ song he requested: Blue Sky. We fully believe that with positive thinking and the help of each one of you, the painting will resurface and find its way into Britany’s hands. If you know the whereabouts of the painting, please contact Sarah or Paul immediately. If you wish to remain anonymous, please put a post on our message board. Thank you! Here’s to a Happy, Healthy New Year!!! Thank you, The Spanish Moss Staff

12.08.05

A Celebration of Life - A musical tribute in memory of Carley Wetherington, featuring members of Stillwood, Soular System, Polyester Pimpstrap, The Panhandle String Band, the Dead Keys and more. Next Friday, December 16th at the Warehouse. Please bring canned food or $5-$10 donations for The Second Harvest Food Bank.

11.20.06

Thank you to Robert McCoy and Suzanne Caldwell who baked HUNDREDS of delicious homemade cookies for our Member, Sponsor, and Artist welcome packets at Down on the Farm 2. Thank you Robert and Suzanne! You're the greatest!

11.09.05

Please bring your non-perishable goods for the Big Bend of Second Harvest Food Drive. The Spanish Moss Foundation is partnering, as always, with our dear friends from Panic Fans for Food to be sure we leave our mark on our home turf. Second Harvest of Big Bend needs our help now more than ever feeding the mouths of so many who have lost EVERYTHING in Hurricane Katrina and other recent natural disasters all over the Gulf Coast. No one should ever have to go hungry. Please go through your closets and gather up anything you haven’t worn in the past year (they say that’s the rule!) and bring it Down on the Farm for the clothing drive for the Salvation Army. Again – those affected by Hurricane Katrina and natural disasters all over the Gulf Coast have lost so much. Everything we do on the farm is in the name of philanthropy and music. If we can afford to gather together in good health and good spirits, we can afford to remember those less fortunate than we are. For more information about our worthy causes, such as those mentioned above, as well as Habitat for Humanity Katrina Relief and Gadsden County Public High School Music Programs, please visit our Good Causes page. Lastly – the Warren Haynes Annual Christmas Jam in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina – which ALWAYS benefits Habitat for Humanity – is set for Saturday, December 17th, 2005, at the Asheville Civic Center. Visit this site for the line-up and more information: http://xmasjam.com/ . Thank you, Warren, for putting on this event in such a charitable holiday spirit! Thank you, thank you, thank you! All good wishes, and safe travels! See you Down on the Farm! ~ Sarah

11.09.05

Today is Down on the Farm artist Ralph Roddenbery's Birthday. Happy Birthday Ralph!

11.06.05

Great music this week in Tallahassee:

Mon., Nov. 7 - The Benevento & Russo Duo @ The Beta Bar

Thurs., Nov. 10 - Down On The Farm Fest Pre-Party: Papa Grows Funk w/ Stormier @ The Beta Bar

Thurs.., Nov. 10 - Down On The Farm Fest Pre-Party: Justin Brogdon & Tony G @ AJ's

10.27.05

Spanish Moss Free Concert Nights: Don't miss a special Halloween Tishamingo show at the Beta Bar this Saturday night, Oct. 29th. Simply go to the show, buy your ticket, come inside, purchase a Down On The Farm festival pass and we will reimburse you for that evening's cover charge. Also, next Friday night (Nov.4th) will be Full Black Out at Yianni's.

10.27.05

Showers will be available at the festival. Weekend shower passes will cost $5 per person. Any money collected above the cost of having the shower units and it's upkeep, will be donated directly to our beneficiaries.

10.18.05

AJ's Sports Bar & Grill will be hosting an on-site Down On The Farm Sports Lounge so you won't have to miss any of your favorite college or pro teams play.

10.16.05

JamBase is giving away two (2) pairs of VIP tickets including preferred camping and hospitality to Down on the Farm 2. Click here for your chance to win!

10.11.05

Spanish Moss Productions is happy to announce a special promotion for the Down On The Farm music festival called "Free Concert Nights". Simply go to the show of your choice, buy your ticket, come inside, purchase a Down On The Farm festival pass and we will reimburse you for that evening's cover charge.

Upcoming dates:

Oct. 11- Dirty Dozen Brass Band- The Beta Bar

Oct. 12- The Phix- Floyd's Music Store

Oct. 14- Full Black Out- The Warehouse

Oct. 20- Dubconscious- The Beta Bar

Oct. 29- Tishamingo- The Beta Bar

Nov. 4- Full Black Out-Yianni's

* More dates may be announced soon.

10.06.05

We are incredibly excited to announce the line-up for DOWN ON THE FARM 2.

Check out the line-up

10.03.05

Down On The Farm has run out of our allotment of $65 early-bird tickets. As a service to our friends, we will extend the $65 ticket price until this Thursday morning, October 6. Tickets will then increase to $80. Click here to buy your tickets now.

09.02.05

We are all hurting deeply for all the victims of Hurricane Katrina (and subsequent tornados). Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this natural disaster. Down on the Farm II is hereby dedicated to all those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Effective today, we are adjusting our original early bird ticket price of $60 immediately by $5 (making it $65) to further assist our original DOWN ON THE FARM II beneficiary: Habitat for Humanity (philanthropy of choice of Mr. Warren Haynes and the Spanish Moss Foundation). In the days following this week's disaster, we made the obvious decision to delegate all contributions to Habitat specifically toward Hurricane Katrina Relief. At $65/ticket - it is still a fair price for the festival. Please do not be confused that this is any attempt to gauge prices. At this price, $5 from every single ticket sold will be set aside for 100% charity. And as always planned, in line with all Spanish Moss Productions events, all proceeds go to charity. We thank you for your enthusiastic support as together - we lend a hand to those so desperately in need.

08.27.05

Tickets to Down On The Farm II are now on sale. Early bird price is $60. Please consider becoming a Member (or Sponsor) of the Spanish Moss Foundation. Individual Memberships begin at $125. Your gift is tax-deductible. Members are invited as our guests to Down On The Farm II with special members-only camping among artists, a members-only tent (in between stages) with $1-beers and a relaxing ambiance. Members are publicly acknowledged on our website, and receive a compilation DOTF II disc. It is the support of our members that makes it possible to go the extra mile, pay our talented and hard-working artists and staff, and give back to our charities. We thank you for giving thoughtful consideration to making a gift.

07.04.05

Freedom on the Farm!

06.30.05

As the Spanish Moss Foundation completes its first fiscal year in operation (July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005), we are proud to report on our progress. We held a number of events: Down on the Farm 1 (November 2004), the 1st Annual Big Bend Charity Fools Fest (April 2005), Uphonia (May 2005) - hosted in conjunction with Rising Jupiter Productions, and two Picnics in the Park (June 2005) - hosted in conjunction with Quincy locals - DJ Cadillac Joe and Michael Shirley. During our inaugural year, we made a total of $2,300 in charitable gifts. Down on the Farm 1 raised $1,000 for Gadsden County Public Schools toward music programs, $1,000 for the Music Maker Relief Foundation, and approximately 100 pounds of food for America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend food banks. The 1st Annual Big Bend Charity Fools Fest raised $300 for Gadsden County Public Schools toward music programs, and approximately 100 pounds of food for America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend food banks. We thank each one of you for your collaborative efforts in making our first year a successful one, and look forward to growing stronger each year.

03.24.05

Please visit Sarah, and bring lots of non-perishable food items, as she hosts the Panic Fans For Food tent at several Widespread Panic related events this weekend. Panic Fans For Food will be collecting food outside The Fox Theater March 24-26, at the Tishamingo show Thursday night at Sweetwater Brewery, and at Smith's Olde Bar post Panic all weekend. For those of you lucky enough to have tickets, enjoy an epic weekend. It's comforting to have the boys back on the scene.

02.18.05

Spanish Moss Productions is honored to host the first annual Big Bend Fool's Festival - An April Fool's Charity Music Event, April 1-3-, 2005 at Spanish Moss Farm in Quincy, Florida. Our community is coming together to raise money for the Gadsden County and Leon County Board of Education Music Programs and to collect food for The Second Harvest of the Big Bend Food Bank. [ Big Bend Fools Fest website ]

02.25.05

TISHAMINGO have been nominated for a prestigious JAMMY award! Help us recognize these most excellent fellas by casting your vote here: www.jammys.com/vote/

02.01.05

Spanish Moss Productions and the Sweetwater Brewery are proud to host the first Tishamingo WEAR N' TEAR CD release party at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta GA. Come on out and celebrate...

12.23.04

Spanish Moss Productions is excited to announce our second major event at Spanish Moss Farm - Uphonia, May 13-15. Go to the Rising Jupiter web-site for more info and early-bird ticket information.

www.risingjupiter.net

12.20.04

The Spanish Moss Foundation will be auctioning off two limited edition DOWN ON THE FARM posters--signed by most of the festival musicians--with all proceeds to benefit charity. Stay tuned for more info on this special event.

12.15.04

Spanish Moss Foundation is proud to report we collected 100 lbs. of food for Big Bend Second Harvest during the first ever DOWN ON THE FARM FESTIVAL. This is great, and we will aim to improve on this for future events.

12.05.04

The dust is still settling from DOWN ON THE FARM, but Spanish Moss Productions is moving ahead with big plans for the near future. In the meantime, you can read a good review of the festival on Kyndmusic.com. Thanks, Patrick!

11.17.04

The inaugural Spanish Moss event, DOWN ON THE FARM, is behind us! BIG THANKS to everyone who helped out--it could not have happened without you. And thank you to ALL who attended for your great attitudes through this first time event. There were great vibes and so many highlights! We'll get some follow-up details and photos up on the site soon.

10.31.04

Happy Halloween!

Thanks to the generosity of our great sponsors, the bonus free t-shirt offer has been extended for ALL ONLINE ADVANCE TICKET SALES! That's right--a Spanish Moss Productions T-shirt with each ticket, available for pick-up (with photo ID) at the festival. Go ahead, BUY SOME TICKETS--they're only $45 each.

10.28.04

A list of (some) nearby lodging has been posted to the DIRECTIONS page on the website. You can also click here to view it now.

10.27.04

We have decided to clear out a number of designated fire sites throughout the grounds. There are some dense areas of pine trees that might be unsafe to have unlimited open fires around. The campgrounds spread out over several hundred acres, so we will provide many fire pits. We hope that everyone will enjoy sitting around the campfires with your neighbors, pickin' and drumming and hanging out.

10.24.04

We are very excited to announce the addition of JJ Grey of the band MOFRO to The Down On The Farm Festival line-up.

10.22.04

New Orleans' own Soul Rebels Brass Band has been added to the line-up to lead the Mardi Gras parade on Sunday morning.

 10.20.04

Email newsletter sign-up is made available on the website (over there to the right). Sign-up now so you don't miss any important updates or upcoming events.

10.15.04

SPANISHMOSSPRODUCTIONS.org & DOWNONTHEFARMFESTIVAL.com websites launch.

10.13.04

The Spanish Moss Message Board is born. Please, go play on it.

10.10.04

A special surprise guest musician is added to the line-up. This person's identity to be announced shortly before the festival. Stay tuned for more on this.

10.07.04

Jambands.com is having an online GIVEAWAY promotional contest for DOWN ON THE FARM. Winner gets 4 VIP tickets to the festival, plus 4 festival tee shirts and 4 compilation CD's!

 10.03.04

The line-up for the inaugural DOWN ON THE FARM music festival to be held on November 12-14, 2004 is announced. Headliners include Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Tishamingo, Perpetual Groove, and Moonshine Still with Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon.

9.20.04

Melissa Hudgens of Leafy Greens Graphic Design completes a beautiful logo design for Spanish Moss Productions and Spanish Moss Foundation.

9.18.04

Spanish Moss Foundation announces the initial charitable beneficiaries of the inaugural DOWN ON THE FARM festival, including the Music Maker Relief Foundation, Gadsden County Public High School Music Programs, and local food banks. Check out the GOOD CAUSES page for more info.