Atlantic City Weekly

Last week, if you looked around this 176-acre farm in Elmer, Salem County about all you'd see would be the abundant trees, enormous green fields and the modest buildings scattered throughout the Appel Farm Arts and Music Center, a year-round operation that has housed a summer arts camp for kids for 45 years.

But this Saturday, June 4, the farm will be filled with food vendors, sound equipment, puppeteers, and thousands of people - some coming from as far away as Connecticut - to enjoy a relaxing spring day outdoors taking in the songs and sounds of internationally respected musicians.

Each year, this sleepy bucolic village, located about 45 minutes from Philadelphia, is transformed into a one-day, world-class music festival.

"Ed Shockey, a DJ from Philadelphia, used to come out every year and he always described it as being like Brigadoon, which was from this old movie about this town that disappeared," says Sean Timmons, the center's artistic director. "It's kind of like that. You come out Saturday and here it is and as soon as the last note of the last song is over and people start leaving, people start taking stuff down and stuff starts to disappear - an hour or two later you're like, 'What's going on here?'"

About 500 volunteers spent the last two Saturdays preparing for the festival, which has been run by the non-profit arts center since 1989. It attracts thousands of music fans each year on the first Saturday of June.

"We started the festival in 1989 and that was the 30th anniversary of Appel Farm," says Timmons. "At the time we were primarily a summer program and we were looking to develop year-round programming. We wanted something to both celebrate our 30th anniversary and also point to the new direction so we came up with the Saturday afternoon festival."

At its peak in 2000, the festival attracted about 13,000 people. In its first year, about 800 people came out.

"In the earlier days of the festival it was a small festival," says Timmons. "And as it grew we wanted to try and keep that [small] aspect of it, which is almost a contradiction of terms because if you grow something, how do you keep it small? And the way we went about doing that was to have two stages. And we have a lot of space - so that even if there are 10,000 people here, it doesn't feel like it."

That space enables families and attendees to set up camp and stretch out somewhere on the sprawling fields still within close proximity to the music. Additionally, all of the festival activities - including the two music stages, the Children's Village, the juried Crafts Fair and the food area - are in walking distance of each other.

"There's a lot to do during the day," adds Timmons. "We've always billed it as a family festival. We don't charge for children 12 and under. We don't sell or permit alcohol on-site, so it creates a very peaceful [environment]. It's a very easy-going crowd."

Although there is an organic garden on the property, Appel Farm is no longer an active farm. "When Albert and Claire Appel, who were the founders, were here, it was an active farm," says Timmons. "But ever since 1978 when the non-profit institution was set up, it simply hasn't been a working farm."

But it's still a gorgeous place to be, equipped with plenty of ample (and free) parking thanks to the farm's many open fields. Shuttle service is also offered from nearby lots.

And then there's the music. Ever since Don McLean headlined the inaugural fest, the diverse line-up of performing songwriters has been outstanding. Something that has been somewhat unique to the Appel Farm festival in relation to other outdoor music events is that the performers usually play a complete concert set each, instead of truncated ones.

"They're not just performing for a half an hour," says Timmons. "There are two stages, with something happening on each stage constantly.

Along with musicians like Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann and Mavis Staples marking their debuts in Elmer this year, the festival will feature a new stage, built in part by the many Appel Farm volunteers. The Grove Stage will feature an eclectic mix of musicians including Philadelphia-area singer-songwriters Bet Williams and Phil Roy, gospel and R&B veteran Staples and headliner Mann, who is currently on tour in support of her new sonic novella, The Forgotten Arm.

"People tend to either come and plant themselves at one stage and stay there or they might go back and forth," says Timmons. "Especially if there's somebody they really want to see."

Although the festival, sponsored this year by WXPN and Comcast, brings in internationally admired stars such as Randy Newman (1993), Emmylou Harris (1996), John Prine (1997) and Richard Thompson (2000), Timmons makes sure that slots are available for up-and-coming regional songwriters. Folks like Nancy Falkow, Four Way Street and Amos Lee have appeared in years past.

"I think part of the fun of the festival is for people to discover new things," says Timmons. This year's local slots have been assigned to Philly's John Francis, Bet Williams and nationally-renowned songwriter Phil Roy, a former camper at the farm.