Backwoods Bluegrass Fay Fest brings music, memories, community together
CROSWELL — For the past six years, Backwoods Gatherings has opened its gates to the community during the first weekend of October for the Backwoods Bluegrass Fay Fest.
The festival itself began as a family event 20 years ago, when the Smith family gathered to celebrate Fay Hunter’s 60th birthday. What started as a birthday celebration has grown into an annual community tradition.
The multi-day event features live bluegrass music, camping, vendors, children’s activities, a soup cook-off and plenty of opportunities for families, friends and neighbors to gather and enjoy one another’s company.
Backwoods Gatherings is a family-owned and operated outdoor venue nestled in the Thumb. The Smith family raised six children on the more than 100-acre property over the past 20 years. Although the children have grown and left home, the family tradition of coming together, sharing smiles and creating memories continues through Backwoods Gatherings and its events.
The festival also carries a deeper meaning for the family.
After a barn fire forced the family to pause and rebuild, they used the difficult period as an opportunity to focus on faith, family and community. Backwoods Gatherings was eventually rebuilt in 2022.
Today, the festival celebrates the life and memory of Fay and Bill Hunter, as well as others who have been called home.
The name F.A.Y. has taken on its own meaning — Favorite. Acoustic. Yearly. — reflecting the family’s love of acoustic music and the annual tradition that has grown around it.
This year’s festival featured performances from The Michigan Bluegrass Band, Harbourtown, Sammy Adkins, Dave Adkins, Tracy Evans, Tyler Gitchel, Breakin Strings and the Kevin Prater Band.
The weekend also featured the annual soup cook-off, which served as a fundraiser for Mama’s Mission, a local nonprofit working to address food insecurity in Sanilac County. This year’s cook-off raised more than $500 for the organization.
Taking home the soup cook-off title was Macara Smith, who prepared her Grandma Fay’s “Slop” recipe, adding another family connection to an event built around honoring Fay’s memory.
Mama’s Mission provides food assistance and other support to people in the local community, making the fundraiser a natural extension of the festival’s emphasis on family and community.
Backwoods Gatherings also hosts an annual SXS fundraiser during the first weekend of June called Backroads for Bluegrass, continuing the tradition of bringing people together while supporting the community.
While music remains at the heart of the festival, the event is about much more than entertainment. It is an opportunity for families, friends and neighbors to gather, continue traditions and create new memories.
The festival is open to the community, and organizers are already encouraging residents to save the date for next year’s event, which will mark another year of the Backwoods Bluegrass tradition.
For the Smith family, Backwoods Bluegrass is a celebration of those who came before them and a way to keep the spirit of family, faith, music and community alive.
Come with a smile, leave with a memory.
