Dozens of East Lansing residents gathered in the field behind the Bailey Community Center, 300 Bailey St., to enjoy warm weather and live music at the third annual Pumpstock event Saturday afternoon.
The concert featured nine different acts, each varying in style and background. Though admission was free, adult attendees were asked to give a $10 donation, which about “99 percent do,” said East Lansing resident Dudley Smith.
Pumpstock is a festival of roots or Americana music, Smith said, which he described as the intersection of folk, country and rock styles. There was an eclectic group of performers ranging from Nashville, Tenn., singer and songwriter Tommy Womack to a band of ukulele players known as The Ukulele Kings.
“It’s organized by the neighborhood, for the neighborhood,” said Dudley, who helps put on the event with the help of other residents. “Our expenses are like some posters and a little bit of food … after we pay a few expenses, all the money goes to the musicians.”
The idea for Pumpstock came to Dudley a few years ago, after holding monthly neighborhood concerts at the Orchard Street Pump House, 368 Orchard St., which is a 1930s water pumping facility turned community center. Dudley and other residents would bring in performers to play at the pump house for the community, some of which were local, and some from as far as Nashville, in which case the musicians stayed with members of the neighborhood, he said.
The event has grown each year, Smith said, after receiving about 140 donations the first year and 170 last year, he was hopeful to get more than 200 this year. Since not all adults donate and children are excluded, the numbers aren’t a true head count for the event though, he said.
Grand Rapids resident Susan Picking, a ukulele player and singer, was asked to come to Pumpstock to perform after meeting fellow ukulele player and Okemos resident Ben Hassenger, who helps Smith organize the event.
In her few experiences, Picking said she was pleasantly surprised to find a thriving music community in the Lansing area.
“I made the drive over here, and I’ve loved the music scene over here,” Picking said.
Hassenger said there is a lot more going on throughout the area during the summer months than people in the community sometimes realize and that events like Pumpstock can be a good break from the traffic and activity of the university just a few blocks away.
“It’s a nice way to bring a neighborhood together,” he said. “We’ve got kids here, we’ve got dogs, we’ve got face painters — it’s something the whole family can enjoy and just hang out and listen to music.”
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