The John Stey Band Plays the Activity Shed at White Memorial

Saturday, August 8, 7–8:30pm | Litchfield, CT

The John Stey Band plays White Memorial Conservation Center's Activity Shed on August 8. A mostly acoustic Northwest Connecticut group whose repertoire goes back to the 1940s and spans country, bluegrass, and old school rock and roll. John Stey handles lead vocals and rhythm guitar, joined by Al Cattey on bass and Jimmy Katzin on violin, with strong harmonies running throughout. The lineup is often expanded by multi-instrumentalist Tim Cole.

By his own account, Stey started his career over forty years ago as a tenor singer and mandolin player for the RFD Boys in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has since worked as a solo act, in duos and trios, and in full bluegrass and electric country bands, including stints with Howie Tarnower's Boston City Limits, the Sam Tidwell Band in Providence, Bob Mavian's NY Horse Country, and Philadelphia's Skookil Express before landing on the current lineup.

The Activity Shed setting fits. Seating is picnic tables outdoors, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own dinner and drinks for what amounts to a low-key evening concert on the grounds.

White Memorial is Connecticut's largest wildlife sanctuary, 4,000 acres of forest, fields, and wetlands in Litchfield and Morris created in 1913 by siblings Alain and May White, whose land preservation work eventually formed the foundation of much of the state park system in northwest Connecticut, including Kent Falls, Macedonia Brook, and Mohawk Mountain.

Tickets are $10, and pre-registration is required through the White Memorial website.

White Memorial Conservation Center, 80 Whitehall Rd., Litchfield, CT. Register at whitememorialcc.org.