ELLERBE — Bluegrass and barbecue are on the menu for the 8th annual Pickin’ in the Pines event, slated for this Saturday at Millstone 4-H Camp.
The annual fundraiser started in 2017 to raise scholarship money for kids to attend camp during the summer.
“We are proud to say that, with the help of sponsors and attendees, we have sent over 75 youth to camp through ticket sales and silent auction purchases,” reads the event page on the camp’s website. “This event is one way we try to reach our goal of no child being denied an enriching summer camp experience just because of an inability to pay.”
Each ticket to the Pickin’ in the Pines includes a barbecue meal, beer or wine, entry for the silent auction and admittance to the pre-show jam session, and the main show.
The two bands scheduled for this year are Red Camel Collective and The Amanda Cook Band.
The award-winning Red Camel Collective — which took its name from the song “The Man in Red Camels,” written by Timmy Massey and Rick Pardue — has been playing since 2024 and has a sound that is “both eclectic and deeply rooted, blending traditional bluegrass and classic country influences with original songs and fresh, modern elements that are uniquely their own,” according to the band’s website.
Lead vocalist Heather Berry Mabe was named International Bluegrass Music Association Momentum Vocalist of the Year in 2024, as well as Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2026 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America awards.
Last year, the band’s debut album spent three months at No. 1 on the Bluegrass Unlimited Album Chart and received the IBMA New Artist of the Year Award. This year, the band debuted at the Grand Ole Opry and has been nominated for three IBMA awards.
The roots of The Amanda Cook Band started in Florida back in 2013. The album “Changes” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Album chart in 2022 and the follow-up “Restless Soul” reached No. 2.
The band’s latest album, “Love Through Time,” is scheduled for release on Oct. 16 — the day before Pickin’ in the Pines.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets. In the event of rain, the concert will be moved inside.
Tickets are $50 each and available at: https://events.blackthorn.io/en/amMUOeX7/pickin-in-the-pines-2026-5a34Vp1VIEb/overview
