Hocking College hosts new summer music festival in Nelsonville

Hocking College will host the inaugural Black Diamond Music & Arts Festival on June 10-11, the Nelsonville community college announced recently.

The two-day event will pay homage to the bluegrass and country genres and traditions of southeast Ohio with national acts such as Elle King and Elvie Shane headlining and popular local acts such as Mcguffey Lane also in the lineup.

The idea behind the gathering came about when the Nelsonville Music Festival decided earlier this year not to host its annual event on campus as it had for years prior to COVID-19, said Sean Terrell, dean of workforce development and community engagement.

“We said, ‘If they’re not going to do it here, let’s do something in its place,’” Terrell said. “We wanted it to be more grounded in the music of the area, though, like bluegrass and country.”

Terrell said they currently have 24 bands signed for the lineup, and college staff members are working with students in certain academic programs — music, culinary, business — to work out logistics and operations.

However, because the school has hosted the Nelsonville Music Festival, which is presented annually by Stuart’s Opera House, in the past, Terrell said it isn’t too big of a stretch for them to host their own concerts.

“Our 2,300 acres on campus will give this a typical music festival feel,” Terrell continued, adding that there will be campsites as well as dorm rooms available for accommodations. “It’s an opportunity for people to come and enjoy our campus as they have before. It’s an opportunity for folks to engage with our programs.” Not only will students be handling organizing, food and beverages and other aspects of the festival, Terrell said others will be doing arts demonstrations, such as those in the glass-blowing or ceramics programs.

According to the Nelsonville Music Festival website, a 2022 event is currently scheduled for Sept. 2-4 with no venue announced as of yet. In 2020, the popular festival was held virtually, while this year the group behind it joined with another area music event, the Duck Creek Log Jam, to host the much smaller Hocking Hills Music Fest.

Tickets are currently on sale for Black Diamond, with two-day passes ranging in price from $145 to $350, at www.blackdiamondmusicfestival.com.

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