Sterling Stage Folkfest returns once again in 2025 for the 30th Anniversary of its inaugural music camping festival. On Memorial Day Weekend, it serves as the unofficial kickoff to the music festival season in Upstate NY.
Promoter Eric McElveen reflects on his past work and looks forward to this year’s Folkfest lineup, which features Ryan Montbleau, Organ Fairchild, and The Niche.
An Idea Takes Root
Evolving from a Christmas tree farm, the Sterling Stage Kampitheater is now a 30-year mainstay destination for Upstate NY music camping festivals. Owner Tommy Ryan, promoter McElveen, and other friends were immersed in the Grateful Dead, seeing the band countless times from the late 80s to the early 90s. Stopover parties were commonplace in the culture, often occurring nearby at Phil’s Farm.
For McElveen, the seed was planted at an early age, “I started in middle school booking stuff for high school dances and became a party organizer as a teen, having keggers out in the woods. I went to my first Dead show when I was 18. I had already been working for bands when I was in high school, doing booking and running sound. I took some college stuff for show promotion at Potsdam. By the early 90s, I was set on dialing in on putting on music festival-type of events, even though I hadn’t been to a music festival because they weren’t really existing at the time.”
As he turned 21, McElveen started doing keggers at his buddy’s cabin on Panther Lake, and in ‘94, it was the first time they had live music with it. McElveen thought back, “That was the idea. I said to my buddy in 1992 that I wanted to start a Memorial Day party and turn it into a music festival. He said, ‘Great. You can have it at my house. I’ll buy a keg if you buy a keg.’ And so we did.”
The idea blossomed as the parties continued over time. “Memorial Day Weekend, I remember the woman who introduced me to Terry up at Panther Lake, I remember her saying one time that Memorial Day Weekend is for gathering with friends and it just stuck that it was a good time to have a party. It is the unofficial kickoff of summer all throughout Central NY. We were really tapping into that and it’s really when the weather begins to get tolerable to be out late at night,” quipped the party planner.
Preparation met opportunity after McElveen went to his last Grateful Dead show. He remembered, “We had Memorial Day Weekend planned in October of 1994. I had been looking for a place and I was ready to graduate to something else. We need more space, we need to be a campground-type situation with a setup for people to do things. A mutual friend introduced me to Tommy Ryan, who had a Christmas tree farm in Sterling. They were Deadhead buddies.”
McElveen continued, “All the other festivals in upstate NY when I was really younger ended in the early 80s because they were really chaotic and dangerous. And the drinking age changed making liability really weird. So, there was a gap in time when those things weren’t happening. There was some stuff around Grateful Dead tour that was somewhat similar, ya know, like stopover parties that happened in the neighborhood of Sterling Stage, so there was a glimpse of what could be and how much of a buzz there was within having a Grateful Dead culture offshoot, splinterish type of ‘Let’s set up in one place and do something.’ That’s really the roots of it.”
I Hate Christmas Trees
The Deadhead culture connection between friends sprouted into a long-standing relationship that grew into the Sterling Stage Kampitheater.
“My buddy Terry, who was the one I had been throwing the parties with at Panther Lake was like, ‘Ya know, Tommy just paid off his Christmas tree farm’ at the end of ‘94. He had a five-year land contract for his Christmas tree farm, which is now Sterling Stage. By the time it was done, he was like ‘I hate Christmas trees and I’m ready to be out of this business and I wanna do something else.’ He did continue Christmas trees for a few years after that, but that’s when Terry said to him that his buddy Eric was looking for a place to music festivals and you guys gotta connect. So we did in October of ‘94 and decided to have a big party on Memorial Day Weekend. I’ll book bands and you get the land ready was the deal.”
Roach Powder and Grand Overseers of Divinity (a project with Eric’s buddy Mike Bogan) performed at the inaugural 1995 festival. “It was still very much partyish – we weren’t running a formal gate, we were setting up the sound ourselves. It was just all local bands and our friends in ‘95 and ‘96. In ‘97, it was the first time I hired a contract band. I remember going to a friend’s house because they had the internet and that was way to look up information about ‘how do you book a national band?’ Commander Cody was the first contract band that I ever looked up. We loved those guys in our party scene, so I booked them Memorial Day Weekend ‘97,” recalled McElveen.
A Creek Runs Through It
In just a few short years the parties evolved into all-out festivals, with tributaries of the Grateful Dead scene flowing into the first of many appearances of legendary Northeast jam band, Max Creek.
McElveen recounted, “In August ‘97, we had this thing called Show For a Friend, where we booked New Riders of Purple Sage. John Dawson — ‘Marmaduke’ — was still there. He played one more day and did a thing for Relix before he took off for Mexico and never came back. He came back for one reunion several years later, but other than that, it was pretty much the end of his touring. We had New Riders, Donna Jean and Merle Saunders on August 1st or 9th in ’97– I forget, it was one of those Jerry days.”
Immediately, there were many lessons on the financial challenges and co-existence with upstate NY weather patterns could be. But, as luck would have it, a new main attraction was just around the corner.
“We started working with Max Creek that year as well. There were these local parties, called Phil’s Farm parties, that used to be around the corner from us. He had Max Creek play at his house, where the stopover parties were, too. They got too big for his house and we had this venue that was right around the corner and he was like, ‘Hey, can I move this thing over to Sterling’ and Tommy Ryan was like, ‘Yeah, ok great.’
In many ways, McElveen credits much of his success to nothing more than luck and good timing. “What was interesting at that time, it was post-Grateful Dead where everything breaks into all these pieces and there isn’t one centralized thing where 80,000 people were going out to Rich Stadium and all these local things began to really get going. And, the musicians start investing in themselves – their own projects and time. Of course, people are looking for fun stuff to do, so all that fed off of each other. It wasn’t localized to upstate NY, it happened all over and really was the birth of the jam band scene,” McElveen recollects fondly.
Forces of Nature
Only a force of nature could upend Sterling Stage’s good times and good vibes. The memories of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns are still freshly embedded in our memories, with the global chaos and uncertainty thrust upon us all. The 2020 shutdown affected all corners of the earth, and restrictions were finally lifted three short weeks after the 2021 Memorial Day festival would have been scheduled.
Less familiar to newer generations of festival goers was the force of nature known as Scottypaluza.
“In ‘98, that’s when we first heard from Scotty. He was experiencing the same thing. You know the parties out in his home area in Newark got to be bigger than the spot could handle and he wound up doing his event here in ‘98 and ‘99. He went out west to Buffalo in 2000 before he came back the next year,” McElveen recalled.
Over two thousand people descended upon Stage Kampitheater for Scottypaluza in 2001, setting new attendance records and immortally altering the landscape of the festival ground’s business models and town policies. Bands featured were Mecca Bodega and Wookie Foot, among others.
“We were still sorting out the ramifications of Scottypaluza 2001, which caused the town to pursue a mass gathering ordinance. That became complicated for a little bit and, post-9/11, it was difficult to get an insurance policy. Things were pretty chaotic in 2002 and it was a nutty time. 9/11 was big stuff. There wasn’t anything in 2003 either. We did one event in 2003 in July,” mused McElveen.
RIP, legend.
Forging a Path Forward
Sterling Stage and McElveen got back in rhythm in 2004 with Memorial Day Weekend Music Festival, which is straightforward but long. It switched back to Sterling Stage Folkfest in 2005. From there, the Folkfest name became synonymous with Memorial Day Weekend music festivals in NY
In 2006, McElveen booked rising singer/songwriter Ryan Montbleau for the first time. Soon, Montbleau and Max Creek would become Sterling’s most requested acts. In 2015, the Ryan Montbleau Band helped set the current Folkfest attendance record. Now, ten years later, Montbleau returns to headline Friday night of the 2025 Sterling Stage Folkfest as a solo act.
“People love Ryan, we had the band a couple years ago. For this year, it’s a really intimate thing. He’s doing Friday night at 11pm in the Sinatra Lounge. He loves the Sinatra Lounge and the intimacy of it. He’s gonna do whatever he wants to do, maybe a couple sets. Knowing him, he might just play straight through and take a break when he wants,” McElveen gleefully forecasts.
After the pandemic, “We called it New Era in 2022 for one year because it was like starting a new era and then went back to Folkfest in 2023.”
Digging Up Talent
A discerning eye and ear for spotting talent early, before an act could graduate to a bigger stage, plays an important role in McElveen’s long-tenured success. This knack has helped him book acts like Anders Osborne and Dangermuffin before costs became too prohibitive.
McElveen counted his blessings, “The amount of great bands that popped up in the Northeast and upstate NY – a lot of them I was able to book for like $400 when they were brand new. Ryan Montbleau, Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, Sophistafunk. The Breakfast was maybe a thousand bucks the first time they came. And, all these young people were eager to get out to it. That was a huge thing.”
He continued, “Hot Day at the Zoo is a Massachusetts group I pulled in when they were pretty unknown regionally and they ended up doing really well for many years. Sam Kinninger played with Nikki Gillaspie back in 2008, who played in Stevie Wonder’s band and with Beyonce at the Super Bowl.”
Built on a Solid Foundation
Sterling Stage Kampitheater and McElveen have no aspirations to become the next Coachella or Bonnaroo. They are pretty content within their niche of the festival universe.
Their approach has matured over time. “There’s the idea of trying to be as libertarian about the culture as we can but also maintaining a safe environment – that’s always a balance. Having enough there where it’s going to be profitable, but also not so many people to prevent being overrun,” McElveen philosophized.
How and why is the Sterling team still going strong after 30 years? “An unwillingness to stop even when I probably should have. It’s like that old saying, when they ask old couples ‘How were you married for 50 years? And they say, well, we didn’t get divorced,” the long-time promoter quipped.
McElveen added, “For the excitement and the attendance, Memorial Day Weekend has always been really good and something we’ve been able to harmonize with and tap into. Being a holiday weekend made it nice and gives it a little extra time. There wasn’t really a lot of thought of being the first ones out, although I will say that my experience that has proven over time is that there is nothing like spring energy.”
The May holiday also works with condensed time to fit extracurriculars due to weather patterns and school. McElveen finished, “People in upstate NY are excited and ready for Memorial Day Weekend no matter what it is they are doing and they are ready for that summer fun type of vibe. As the summer progresses, it becomes more and more difficult to get that same excitement and to get people all into the same place because people go to camps on the water, graduations, weddings, family reunions. July and August, you have all the national tours come through. Everyone knows that’s the prime weather and then the NYS State Fair in late August. And ya know, with college kids, a factor back then was they were getting ready to go back to school in late August as well.”
Unlike many other fests, there is no late-night rave scene. The quiet hours are primarily about being respectful of fellow campers. “We do have late night music but primarily focus on acoustic-based acts and the intimacy that goes with. Being in the woods, it really fits the vibe best,” McElveen concluded.
Changing Landscape
Despite the well-honed experience, putting on a music camping festival in 2025 is challenging. What was novel at one time has become commonplace.
“I think we’re heading in the other direction now, because the demographics have made that to be. We saw a rise in the attendance with millennials – teenagers sneaking through the woods and coming in the trunks of cars. By the time they’re a little bit older, they’re staring to come into shows and buy tickets. Then, there was a swell of crowds and bands and everything, a flourishing around 2005 and that went for about 10 years or so. That was a lot of great stuff.”
Demographics and attitudes have changed over the past decade. “Now, we’ve gone in the other direction where millennials have been aging out for the past decade. They’ve got families and jobs and mortgages and they’re just not able to get away for a four-day festival. Maybe it’s just not that time in their life where they have a great passion about it anymore. We do get some bringing their kids. The younger generation doesn’t seem to have that passion at all. The Gen Z’s – there are very few bands, I don’t hear about any huge scenes and you don’t see any club shows with bands packing places. There’s a few here and there, but it’s nothing like it was like with the Boomers, Gen X or the Millenials even,” lamented McElveen.
The promoter continued, “Everything has gotten more expensive. We’ve been particularly hit hard with insurance. Everyone likes Sterling Stage and my festivals, so the band’s are cooperative but still things have been inflationary in every way. Generators, all the stuff. We raised ticket prices $10 this year. It’s still just $90 pre-sale, vehicle parking is separate. It’s still the cheapest festival around for this caliber of music. Compared to other large events like Live Nation, we try to be as modest as possible despite the challenge.”
On the Horizon
Planning for the next festival is well underway for McElveen. Happy Sterling Festival will take place on Labor Day Weekend Aug 28-31, 2025, with Jimkata headlining so far. “I’m excited about having them and they have really good following. They are gonna do a special acoustic set.” McElveen cautiously adds, ” It looks like I have a band coming that it is breaking out on a national level. Probably most people haven’t heard of them, but quite possibly could be your next favorite band.”
Over the long term, McElveen is deadicated to taking things as they come and gratefully acknowledges the importance of team work to make the dream work.
“I don’t have any idea how long it’s going to continue to go. It’s a little season by season, some outside ideas of how it may continue over time. Tommy, the landowner, is going to be 68 in September. I had two months of cancer treatment last year. I think I’m good, I think it’s gone. I had neck cancer, and things were looking fairly dire last year. I didn’t know what was gonna happen and as it was, the Happy Sterling Festival last year on Labor Day Weekend – I was more dependant upon my volunteer crew that helps me at the gate. They’re a great group of people that always have my back and help me out.”
Fertile Folkfest Lineup
This year’s Folkfest has something to offer for both the established regular crowd and newcomers alike.
“The regulars love Ryan and it’s very universal there,” says McElveen. In addition, Folkfest attendees will have the chance to discover regional up-and-comers like Count Blastula, Turkey Blaster Omega, Small Batch, the Forest Dwellers and the Rachel Kroft Collective, and long-time favorites Tim Herron & the Great Blue Sky, among others.
Excitedly, McElveen points to the Saturday and Sunday Folkfest headliners as noteworthy acts he is looking forward to catching live. “I really like Organ Fairchild – they’re a lot of fun — as the Sunday night headliner. Those guys are a blast. I’m not always a huge fan of instrumental music. I really like lyrics – I like a balance. But, I don’t even think about them as an instrumental band because they change their voicings so well with the instrumentation they do have, it just makes for some really fun music.”
“Also, the Niche reunion is very notable. Ya know, the Niche, those guys were super young when they started playing in 2000. They were really great. I think they started in the Watertown area and then were based out of Rochester. They started to really do a great job, there was a lot of buzz about them. They were writing a lot of adventurous material and were really going out there and jamming improvisational sections,” McElveen nostalgically reminisced. “So, I’m excited for that. It was a really great surprise to hear from them in the fall that they were gonna be out doing some things in celebration of the 25th. And Rob Compa is with them, so that’s really cool as well.”
For their part, the Niche is excited to get back to the legendary Sterling Stage. Drummer Jay Schreiber anticipates, “Late night set, we’ll probably get a little weird. We don’t know until we get there. We’re kinda weird dudes, ya know?”
If You Are Thinking About Kamping:
McElveen confides, “Sinatra Lounge is a great gathering spot throughout the day but at night it really comes alive in its beauty. With lights in the trees and central fire, it has the feel of an outdoor nightclub. We have been sculpting it for 27 years and it really is a unique location. Something that truly needs to be experienced in person.”
- Children 12 and under are FREE!
- Advance door, weekend, and VIP passes are available online and in-store across Central NY.
- Day and Weekend passes are also available at the venue for an additional $10
- Parking is $20 per vehicle, with car camping available.
- RV parking is available for an extra fee.
- Portable toilets, hand-washing stations, and potable water tanks throughout the Kampitheater.
- Glass bottles, fireworks, and sky lanterns are NOT PERMITTED.
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