UPDATE: Sourland Conservancy Festival Rescheduled

UPDATE: The Sourland Music Festival has been rescheduled to Sunday, due to forecasts calling for thunderstorms and rain, Saturday. The time was also changed to 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. All scheduled musicians are expected play. 


ORIGINAL STORY: By the time headliner Eric Steckel takes to the stage at Saturday's Sourland Music Festival, festival go-ers will have heard a musical line-up only Spotify could put together. 

Steckel, who was a prodigy performing Stevie Ray Vaughn licks at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival at the age of 15, caps the festival which serves as a fundraising benefit for the Sourland Conservancy, formerly the Sourland Planning Council, a group of area residents dedicated to protecting the ecological rarity of the Sourland Mountain region. The festival has been one of the group's main fundraising projects since 2003.

Executive Director Caroline Katmann said the proceeds from the event have been used to fund the conservancy's Sourland bus tours, hire lawyers to advocate for the group's causes, and support a series of historical presentation at the Hopewell train station.   

"We have also published a stewardship manual for residents and we mailed that to all of the residents in the area," Katmann said.

The festival opens at 4 p.m. in the wide-open polo fields at Hillsborough Golf and Country Club. The airy space means there's plenty of room for kids to play, adults to meander, and vendors to offer food and refreshment. Tickets are $20, available online, and proceeds of the event go to the Conservancy.

Other acts set to perform include Dan May, a military veteran turned balladeer, modern jazz bassist Tony Cimorosi, alt-country singer Brooke Shive and her "45s," and Stepping STONE, who perform music that could be labeled "progressive bluegrass."

Fans of classic Southern rock will enjoy Princeton-based Ten Foot Tall, while Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson fans will likely take to show opener John Beacher.

It's an eclectic lineup aimed at adults tired of themed programming and one-sound-fits-all festivals, what you might get from Spotify if your circle of friends is wide enough. Katmann said the musical acts are selected by Jim Popik, a member of Ten Foot Tall, through a "sonic bidding" program.

"More and more people are hearing about the festival and applying to perform," Katmann said. "People are now seeking us."

Sponsors of this year's festival include the Swallow Hill Farm, in Hillsborough, Weidel Realtors, Advantage Systems and Internet Solutions and Hopewell Valley Community Bank.