SCHEDULE TBA COMING SOON!

Blue Mother Tupelo and various artists including Sharde Thomas & The Rising Stars Fife & Drum Band live at the 76th Annual G.O.A.T. Picnic! Carrying on the tradition!

Everybody hollerin’ goat on August 28th & 29th at the G.O.A.T. Picnic taking place at the Northwest Shrine Club in Coldwater, Mississippi! Carrying on the North Mississippi fife & drum-style Picnic tradition of Sharde’s grandfather, Otha Turner, as well as Napoleon Strickland. Come celebrate the rich tradition of fife & drum music culture and community. Each year, the gathering includes musicians, families and supporters to honor and preserve this important musical heritage.

The Otha Turner Family Picnic began in the late 1950s on the farm of Otha Turner in Senatobia, Mississippi. What started as a small family and community gathering featured fellowship, barbecue goat, and traditional fife and drum music. Through the 1970s–1990s, the picnic grew in reputation, drawing visitors from across Mississippi and beyond to experience the rare African American fife and drum tradition. After the death of Otha Turner in 2003, leadership passed to his granddaughter Sharde Thomas-Mallory, who proudly continues the legacy. Today, the G.O.A.T. Picnic is held in Coldwater, MS and remains a living celebration of Otha Turner’s life and music—bringing together family, community, and the tradition of barbecue goat—hosted by the The Rising Stars Fife & Drum Band.

goatpicnic.com