Paleophonic Festival returns to Fools Hill Farm in Spencer

The Paleophonic Festival will be returning to Fools Hill Farm in Spencer this Saturday, June 10, for its second year of getting people together to listen to music and to each other. 

“Paleophonic Festival started with the suicide of a friend to many people around the area,” said Robb Dorazio, Paleophonic Festival organizer. 

“He was an amazing person that kept his mental illness, addiction, and suicidal thoughts to himself. Because of this, Paleophonic Festival was created to raise awareness as well as lower the social taboo of talking about these problems.” 

On Saturday, a full day of music is planned, with numerous musicians returning to Paleophonic Festival for this second annual event. 

“We have good friends that get together to remember past friends, talk and support each other, and to hear some good music and have a great time,” Dorazio said. 

Amy Cowan, Local Farmers Union, Janet Batch, Drew Minson, Technicolor Trailer Park, and The Unknown Woodsmen are all returning to the “Tumen Stage” at Fools Hill Farm to share their talents. Any music fan serious about listening would be foolish not to return for the experience of live music in Fools Hill’s “nano-amphitheatre” – the hand-built stage is set next to a clear pond. 

Music reverberates up a slope through the wooded campground, with the players clearly heard throughout the property while the volume is comfortable at the stage. 

In addition to the returning musicians, Paleophonic Festival will be welcoming Brittany Vetter, Pigeon Post, Vinegar Williams, Cozmic Theo, and Christina C. Ryder to the stage on June 10. 

For those Paleophonic attendees who want to talk with somebody, the “Listening Tent” will be there again, from Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service. 

“If someone has something on their mind we’re here to listen,” said Lee-Ellen Marvin, Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service director. “We always have someone capable of providing peer counseling. Our effort is to help people understand who we are and what we do.” 

Marvin said there would be a “coloring project” for kids and adults at the listening tent, featuring the benefits of sleep for mental health. 

“We want people to think of and draw their favorite happy place,” Marvin said. “Practice visualizing that happy place is a great strategy for going to sleep.”

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). From 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., all phones with 607 area codes are routed to a local volunteer. 

“You don’t have to have thoughts of suicide to call us,” Marvin said. “You can have any emotional problems large or small and we’re here to listen.” 

For more information on Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service, visit ithacacrisis.org.

Tickets for Paleophonic Festival, a fundraiser for Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service, are available at paleophonicfestival.org, or are a suggested donation of $30 or $50 for two at the gate. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. 

Camping is free, but parking is limited. Fools Hill Farm is located at 657 Dawson Hill Rd. in Spencer, N.Y. The hosts ask that you leave glass bottles and pets at home.