End summer and kick-off autumn with music at Pine Ridge Fall Festival

Gabrielle Lang, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·4 min read

Sep. 12—ALBRIGHTSVILLE — Common Flame LLC gears up for the return of the Pine Ridge Fall Festival from Thursday, September 14, to Sunday, September 17, with music, camping, and fun in heart of the Pocono Mountains.

Welcome the fall season over the last official weekend of summer. Camp in the scenic woods and experience bands outdoors while you still can. The party starts early Thursday night with a kick-off pre-party to start the celebration. Gates open at noon.

Acts spread out across three stages with entertainment all day. There will also be a diverse community of artisanal, craft, food, and beverage vendors, as well as workshops, activities, and other ways to get involved with the festivities.

The Main Stage goes until midnight and then there are late-night productions for those who aren't ready to say goodnight. Camping is also a big piece of the Pine Ridge Fall Festival community.

It's officially campfire season! So, those who stay the night can enjoy a nice friendly atmosphere and attend bonfires at night with music. Set up camp on flat, grassy land for the weekend with RVs, cars, and tents.

Pine Ridge Fall Festival

"I'm most excited about getting everyone together. That's the driving force," said Co-founder and Co-owner of Common Flame LLC, Kenneth Hatt. "That's really the mission — to encourage self-expression, the arts, the creativity behind it all and have people feel like they're a part of it."

Common Flame Events puts on two large outdoor music events twice a year in the Pocono region. They've partnered with the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg for the 2023 Pine Ridge Fall Festival.

Their music-appreciating community grows with each outing. Common Flame Events hosted the Pine Ridge Memorial Day Jam back in May 2023 and now invite guests back to the outdoor venue for an end-of-the-summer showdown.

Common Flame was co-founded by Kenneth Hatt and Brittany Coleman in 2020. The pair are not only business partners and co-owners, but also engaged to be married. Their company emerged during lockdown to create events out of necessity at the difficult time for artists. They were musicians themselves, so they were motivated to start outdoor events to get bands in front of the people again.

The business first started by running the Open Air/Open Mic in Stroudsburg at Josie Porter Farm, home of Cherry Valley CSA and cultivated the idea from there. The Pine Ridge Fall Festival is an extension of that first event.

Hatt and Coleman became acquainted with the landowner, who owns Pine Ridge Services and used to own Hickory Run Tavern, when Hatt played at the bar. The landowner booked them for a big staff party at his venue, then started inviting more and more bands to play until it turned into a big happening within the community.

In 2021, Common Flame decided to start testing the waters and opening the events up to the public until they got where they are today — running Pine Ridge Music Festivals on a regular basis to showcase arts and entertainment in Monroe County.

Pine Ridge Fall Festival highlights a variety of bands from throughout the Northeast. Hatt says they bring in a lot of local talent from NEPA and the Lehigh Valley, but also bands based out of Philadelphia and Maryland. This year's lineup includes Escaper, Serene Green, Juggling Suns, Dear Scene, Brendan Brisk Band, Rubix Pube, and many more.

"The festival definitely has that jam rock n' roll core. That's our core audience that comes out, but we try to throw into some things that are a little different too — punk, alternative, bluegrass. A little bit of everything," said Hatt.

Culture and art are also a central piece of this Pocono music festival. Common Flame Events always does a fire show at each one of their events, it's become their own personal brand that just started happening spontaneously within the community.

Common Flame Events' Pine Ridge Music Festivals are growing organically with each celebration. They're thankful for the dedicated crowd that keeps coming out and supporting their mission.

One of Common Flame LLC's values was keeping their festivals as accessible as possible. The wide-open venue is located right off the turnpike in the Albrightsville/Jim Thorpe region and down the street from Hickory Run State Park. Pine Ridge Fall Festival is right in the midst of the Poconos' best weekend getaway area.

"Big festivals are a big commitment so we want to keep this local and accessible with many passes and possibilities for everyone who wants to attend," said Hatt.

It's the change of the seasons, so Pine Ridge Fall Festival is a great opportunity to wrap up the summer and set the tone for the rest of the year.

A variety of ticket options are on sale on their website and can be purchased at the gate. Follow along with Pine Ridge Music Festival for all their future events for the Pocono Mountains.