<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0pyCiv_0vs6Zx8b00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0pyCiv_0vs6Zx8b00" width="1187" height="623" >BELMONT – Autumn is the time for apple picking, cider, and visiting orchards in the Lakes Region. It is also time for some good old-fashioned bluegrass music. A group of four men with a lot of musical talent join together every autumn to play their favorite bluegrass songs … among the apple trees at Smith Orchard.According to band member Dave Shaw, the Smith Orchard Pickers are an informal bluegrass band. Their musical sound draws an audience on the weekends as they tune up and begin to play right in the orchard.Bluegrass music fits nicely in the old-fashioned setting of Smith Orchard. The Richter family owns and operates the orchard, which is a well-cared-for place that welcomes families every fall for apple picking. With its rustic gift shop area, wagon rides to take families to the best apple picking areas, and casual atmosphere, one can see why the Smith Orchard Pickers love to play on site.Shaw said, “We have played as a group for about four or five years. When the band first performed at the orchard, we were called the Dave Gettis Band, but after Dave passed away, we became the Smith Orchard Pickers.”One unique aspect of bluegrass bands in the area is that many members play in more than one band; thus, musicians know one another and enjoy sharing their talents. One aspect of bluegrass music is that it is a bit of an underground thing and members frequently play in other bands as well without competition among musicians. This is true for the Smith Orchard Pickers who have been acquainted for quite some time and are comfortable playing music together.“The band has never been formal after Dave passed away,” said Shaw. The Smith Orchard Pickers play for the fun of it and to share their musical talents with audiences wherever they perform, from the apple orchard to large venues such as Deerfield Fair.“I have been playing in bluegrass bands in New England for 50 years,” said Shaw, who plays banjo. The other Smith Orchard band members are Tim FitzPatrick on guitar, Gary Darling on mandolin and Gary Hutchins on bass. Playing in the band is a lot of fun for the four members and they don’t mind traveling from their homes all over the state to be at Smith Orchard on select dates throughout the fall when apple picking is popular.The band will play at Smith Orchard on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Smith Orchard Pickers belt out such bluegrass favorites as “Raw Hide,” “Last Thing on My Mind,” “Riding the Midnight Train,” and “Tombstone Junction,” among other songs. The main thing the Smith Orchard Pickers have in common is similar music tastes in the style of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, famous old-time bluegrass favorites.According to Shaw, there is not one particular band leader for the Smith Orchard Pickers.“We choose songs democratically, and we play what we like,” He said. The other band members agree, adding they feel their music fits well in the informal atmosphere of the orchard.The band members enjoy playing outdoors but move inside during the winter months. They can be found playing at town gazebos and fairs with fellow Smith Orchard Pickers or other bands.Some of the band members are retired, and some still work day jobs. For example, Smith Orchard Pickers member Hutchins is the assistant dean at Dartmouth College and travels from the Hanover area to play with the band at Smith Orchard. He learned to play, he said, when he was 9-years-old and has been in several bands.While Shaw said playing in the band is a hobby for all members, their collective talent proves they are much more than a group of amateurs getting together to jam. When they tune up their instruments and begin to play, their sound harkens back to a time when bluegrass was the backbone of American music.When asked what his plans are as a bluegrass musician, particularly his involvement with the Smith Orchard Pickers, Shaw smiled and said, “I plan to keep playing until it isn’t fun.”But that won’t happen because when he picks up his banjo, it is obvious Shaw, along with fellow Smith Orchard Picker members, is having a ball.Visit Smith Orchard at 184 Leavitt Road in Belmont. Contact the Smith Orchard Pickers via email at davjengab@metrocast.net.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Apple pickin’ at Smith Orchard

BELMONT – Autumn is the time for apple picking, cider, and visiting orchards in the Lakes Region. It is also time for some good old-fashioned bluegrass music. A group of four men with a lot of musical talent join together every autumn to play their favorite bluegrass songs … among the apple trees at Smith Orchard.

Apple pickin’ at Smith Orchard

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