WARWICK — A pathway lined with tiki torches led down a gentle slope, past a rusty car door with the words “Old 78 Farm” painted on it and into a field peppered with blankets, folding lawn chairs and a few hay bale and log seats as well.
All seats faced a wooden stage covered in a black tarp, where “rice: An American Band” played. Children with painted faces hula hooped on the hillside, as a bubble machine sent bubbles floating through the crisp autumn air.
Starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, the field filled with music enthusiasts and their families for the eighth annual Old 78 Farm Fall Festival. Guests could listen to nine bands on two stages that played music ranging from bluegrass to hard rock to reggae, shop with vendors that encircled the field, or dine on food made largely from scratch.
“It’s really special for Warwick,” 42-year-old resident Sue Paquet said of the festival. Paquet is an employee of Simon Says Booking in Orange, which books the festival’s performers.
Paquet recounted how the festival often brings well-known bands such as the Duppy Conquerors, a Bob Marley tribute band out of Boston, to the woods of Warwick for an experience locals wouldn’t otherwise have.
“Music festivals are a bit of a subculture,” she said. “It brings the local people here a taste of that subculture.”
Three members of the noontime band, Patty Tuite and Friends, said that between the two stages, the Old 78 Farm Fall Festival offers continuous music.
“For the money, you can’t beat it,” said Eric Engman, 59, of Warwick. “It’s one of the best music bargains.”
“It’s a great way to be introduced to new live music,” added Patty Tuite, 57, of Storrs, Conn. Having attended since 2014, Tuite said she’s been introduced to bands at the festival that she continues to follow.
Outside of the music, though, Tuite and Paquet agreed, the festival is also a place for children “to really let loose,” Paquet said, by hula hooping, running, dancing and having their faces painted.
“It’s cute watching the kids,” Paquet said. “That’s my favorite part.”
Tuite described the crowd as diverse, with many people — like Tuite herself — returning faithfully year after year, but also repeatedly finding something new and different that they “wouldn’t find anywhere else.” For example, Tuite pointed to a dress made out of neckties sold by the Old 78 clothing booth.
Between being surrounded by the woods and fields of Warwick, their trees bursting with autumn colors, and the handmade crafts and food, Tuite said the Old 78 Farm Fall Festival sets itself apart with an earthy, organic, homegrown feel.
“It’s almost like going to your friend’s party,” she said.
Reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com
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