the briggs family
Inducted Members: Alison Briggs, Dena Briggs, Dylan Briggs, Richard Briggs
Since 1760, farmland in the western half of what is now Luzerne County has been owned by the Briggs family. At one time, the farm was most known for the crops it produced, and while those crops still grow, the notoriety of the 350-acre Briggs family farm has shifted over the centuries. In fact, that shift has mostly happened in just the past few decades, when one of the biggest blues festivals in the world was established at Briggs Farm.
Richard Briggs, a former WVIA-TV producer, grew up loving music, especially the blues. When the Woodstock Music and Art Fair took place in 1969 on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in New York state, the teenaged Briggs saw inspiration. He believed there was potential to replicate the model Woodstock had established: a music festival hosted on a family farm. About 30 years after Woodstock, Briggs fused his love for the blues with the model he had in mind to form the Briggs Farm Blues Festival in 1998.
Held annually each July, the Briggs Farm Blues Festival was humble at first, drawing a few hundred people to the rural farm to hear genuine Delta-style blues music. Over the years, the crowds and offerings have grown. The “Briggsville” section of Nescopeck Township lives up to its name when thousands of guests visit Briggs Farm every year to catch national and regional acts take the stage.
Hundreds of regional and national artists have graced the Briggs Farm stage since its inception. Among the long list of names who have performed at the festival are Bret Alexander, Duane Betts and Palmetto Motel, R. L. Boyce, Vanessa Collier, Samantha Fish, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Marcus King, Wes Knorr, Justin Mazer, the North Mississippi Allstars, Robert Randolph, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lonnie Shields, Gabe Stillman, and Victor Wainwright and the Train.
Not unlike the way blues music has informed the path of American music for as long as it has been played, the Briggs Farm Blues Festival has embraced adjacent genres — from rock and Americana to gospel and soul — as it has expanded. The festival has done wonders to preserve the blues music tradition, and multiple performances at the festival have been recorded in both visual and auditory formats.
Beyond the Main Stage, Briggs Farm is an impressive source of family-friendly entertainment, and has often been cited as a great introduction to music festivals for the uninitiated. The Back Porch stage, an alternative to the Main Stage, allows for more relaxed musical experiences for both artists and fans. The expansion of the festival from one day to a full weekend extravaganza has certainly contributed to its generally laid back atmosphere.
Camping has grown to be a huge part of the Briggs Farm Blues Festival, with tents, vans, cars, and RVs being pulled from across the country to make the pilgrimage to Luzerne County. Those who camp are treated to the scenic imagery of Briggs Farm’s woodlands and cornfields. Additionally, southern-style food vendors, the iconic Vendor Village, and guitar giveaways are all important parts of the Briggs Farm Blues Festival experience.
To operate the festival, the Briggs family organizers work year-round to get the music and concert site up to the high standard expected by attendees. Putting on the festival is a multi-generational labor of love for Richard and the rest of the Briggs family, especially Richard’s wife Alison, son Dylan, and daughter-in-law Dena. The performers and audience members at the Briggs Farm Blues Festival are a family, as well, with many of them catching up after not having seen each other since the previous year’s festival.
In rain or shine, the Briggs Farm Blues Festival brings a wave of friendly tourism to an underserved wing of Luzerne County. Likewise, a wide array of musicians run to Nescopeck Township to take part in a musical institution that was organically designed and nurtured. Like the blues itself, the Briggs Farm Blues Festival is steeped in history and community.