The long-running Kelly Country Pick is now calling Cobargo home.
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Cobargo Country Pick is a bluegrass, old time, Cajun and swing music event.
Peter Hisco, musician, long-term organiser of the Kelly Country Pick and Cobargo resident, is the man behind the bluegass and old time country music convention.
The Kelly Country Pick ran from 1999 to 2019 in Beechworth, north-east Victoria. The venue was Beechworth's Old Priory, an old Catholic convent that was converted into an accommodation facility.
"It was used for school camps. We would take it over for a week to hold music events in five different venues," Mr Hisco said.
Some 300 to 500 people went to the 2019 Kelly Country Pick. However, the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to COVID.
Earlier this year, the Old Priory's new owners said they were concentrating solely on school camps, forcing Mr Hisco to find a new venue.
He was chatting about it with friends in the Cobargo pub one night. The consensus was "there's plenty of energy left so let's do it here".
Five bands are coming from Canberra, along with some from Sydney.
"There seems to be plenty of interest and if it goes OK we will be running it again next year," said Mr Hisco.
The Kelly Country Pick generated income from ticket sales and accommodation. However, with only one venue in Cobargo, there was limited scope for income.
Mr Hisco secured funding from South East Arts' Country Arts Support Program, which will cover the cost of musicians coming from Sydney.
The Cobargo Hotel-Motel and the Yuin Folk Club were also supporting the event.
Yuin Folk Club is the not-for-profit that has produced the Cobargo Folk Festival since 1996.
The three-day event is free although people are welcome to make donations. Tickets for the Kelly Country Pick, which had five venues, cost around $100.
Mr Hisco said the event will attract similar people to those who attended the Kelly Country Pick, and hopefully many from Sydney.
Mr Hisco and his wife Wendy Jackson play an incredible range of stringed instruments - fiddle, banjo, ukulele, double-bass, mandolin and guitar. They both also sing.
Cobargo Country Pick will run from Friday, August 12, to Sunday, August 14.
You can view the program here
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