On Friday May 30, the historic downtown square area of Fredericktown will be alive with the sounds of music.  That Friday at 6 pm will kick off the first installment of Pickin' on the Square presented by Barrett-Jensen Chevrolet.  Every Friday night until September, musicians from several surrounding counties will converge on the square to play music in impromptu "jam sessions".  Any and all local musicians are encouraged to come out and bring your instruments, regardless of what type of music you enjoy.  

The beauty of the program is in the format.  It is an open, welcome atmosphere and offers the ability to play in many different groups with many different musicians.  One of the obstacles that many musicians face is finding a group of people to enjoy their music with.  It can be a daunting task to find the small gatherings of pickers in the area and can be intimidating to some to join a group that they haven't been officially invited to.  But if you play or enjoy listening to acoustic music (i.e. bluegrass, gospel, rock, folk, Christian) then you are welcome to join us.  We encourage all of the local musicians to simply throw the instrument in the car, grab your friends, and come up to celebrate with us.  We will have informal gatherings, both small and large, of musicians that will be playing their styles.  Musicians and spectators alike are encouraged to wander the square and hear the various jam sessions and differing styles.  Stop and join in with a bluegrass group and lend your mandolin skills, stroll over to the circle of folks playing gospel and sing a hymn or two, or take a walk over to the group playing folk music and join in with your guitar.

What does this mean to those of us who don't play an instrument but do enjoy music?  It means we now will have the premier place in southeast Missouri to come and enjoy all types of acoustic music.  Truly the only major rule of the Pickin' on the Square is:  No amps/electronics.  Every gathering will be acoustic instruments and live music.  So whether you like to listen to classic bluegrass, contemporary Christian, traditional folk music, or simply accapella harmony groups you will have the opportunity to spend an evening in a lawn chair listening to it being performed right in front of you.

On the opening night, we will have a kick-off presentation by the Mayor, followed by the official dedication of the renovated Court Square area.  Plans are in the works to have a nationally acclaimed bluegrass group perform immediately following the dedication.  More information will follow in next week's issue of the Democrat News.

Everyone is encouraged to bring their lawn chairs, picnic baskets, etc and spend the evening in the shadow of the historic Court House while friendships are renewed and fellowship is shared.  It will be a chance for the children to play, the adults to visit and enjoy, and for all of us to come together and enjoy the heritage and history of our community and the music that has been a part of it for decades.  As the program grows, we stand to attract a larger following and folks from greater distances will come to enjoy the music.  The success of the program could lead to a noticable spark in the local economy and revitalization of our downtown area.  A handful of other towns in the midwest with similar followings have thousands converge on their gatherings each weekend to fill the town with music.  Help be a part of the success and make a point to join us at the first installment of Pickin' on the Square brought to you by Barrett-Jensen Chevrolet!    You can visit the website at

www.pickinonthesquare.com for more information.