Around St Patrick’s Day each year, Farm Aid gets doubly lucky with an invitation to attend the annual Luck Reunion on Willie and Annie Nelson’s ranch in the Hill Country outside of Austin, Texas. Farm Aid is also a beneficiary of the PotLuck, a farm-to-table dinner and concert that precedes the unique and wonderful annual music event that is the Luck Reunion. This year, we expanded our programming at the Luck Reunion and had a fantastic time doing it!
The PotLuck
The PotLuck is an intimate, farm to table dinner and concert that takes place right in the middle of Luck, TX the fictional town located on Willie and Annie’s ranch, which was the set for Willie’s landmark film, The Red Headed Stranger. Featuring a collection of top tier chefs, local farm-sourced food and a performance by Willie Nelson and Family, it’s truly a not-to-be-missed experience.
This year’s culinary theme was Mexico and the chefs’ creations were creative and delectable. It being St Patrick’s Day, the menu even featured cabbage, smoked and served in a green sauce that gave new depth of meaning to eating your greens! As usual, Farm Aid brought some items to be auctioned that were signed by Willie that afternoon. Generous supporters who just had to get their hands on the beautiful guitars, donated to Farm Aid by Gibson, albums, books and Farm Aid experiences helped us raise more than $30,000 to support Farm Aid’s mission to strengthen family farmers.
The PotLuck Crowd. Photo by Michael Stewart Foley
After dessert, Willie Nelson and Family took the main stage at Luck, delighting the crowd and encouraging us all to dance to stay warm in the unseasonably cold Texas evening. The Luck Family Foundation generously donated the proceeds from this fantastic event to the Austin Food and Wine Alliance and Farm Aid. Throughout the years, the Potluck has raised more than $3 Million, benefiting national organizations like Farm Aid and Wholesome Wave, Texas area organizations like the Austin Food and Wine Alliance, and food and farm efforts building community in the Austin area.
Luck Reunion
This year, Luck Reunion organizers held a show in downtown Austin with Charley Crockett on Wednesday, giving us an extra day to gear up for a bigger Farm Aid presence at the Luck Reunion on Thursday! Farm Aid staffers Alexandria and Claire traveled around the Hill Country to pick up Texas grapefruits, strawberries, baby carrots, pecans, grape tomatoes and valencia oranges to fill up our HOMEGROWN Concessions® Farmers Market, and Michael put the finishing touches on our exhibit honoring the 40th anniversary of the second Farm Aid concert, which took place on July 4, 1986, at Manor Downs in Austin. Video footage playing on vintage TVs highlighted the epic performances that took place that day and photographs and memorabilia from the day inspired Reunion-goers to share their memories.
Photo by Michael Stewart Foley
Additionally, Farm Aid facilitated two conversations on the Community Conversations Stage. Hosted by Shorlette Ammons (Farm Aid’s Co-Executive Director and Program Director), the first conversation was titled “Farming for a Fair and Just Future.” The hour-long discussion and Q&A session featured Matt Simon, farm manager for Refugee Collective, Kriss Voutes, Elgin Farmers Market manager, and Genice Harris of Brown Farmer, LLC, and focused on the challenges farmers face and the solutions they present.
Farming for a Fair and Just Future. Photo © Andrea Escobar
The second conversation, titled “Solidarity Starts at Home: Neighbors Helping Neighbors” and hosted by Michael Stewart Foley (Farm Aid’s Cultural Impact Director) and Shorlette, featured Eamonn Mclain of Tramped by Turtles, one of the main stage bands at the Reunion (who also played Farm Aid 40 in their home state of Minnesota!); Jazz Mills of Austin-area organization Free Lunch; and Kaye Askins of the Texas Hospitality Collective. The conversation dove into the ways that the panelists show up for their neighbors and communities during tough times. Eamonn spoke about his community work in Minneapolis during the ICE surge there. Kaye described pulling together chefs and others in the hospitality industry in response to the lethal floods in Kerrville, TX last year, and Jazz talked about her journey from deciding to try to help those in need to providing nearly half a million meals a year to the unhoused in Austin.
Solidarity Starts at Home: Neighbors Helping Neighbors. Photo © Andrea Escobar
It’s a treat for Farm Aid staff to attend the Luck Reunion not just because it’s a truly special event, but because of all the people we see and meet there–old friends and new. At times there was a line four-deep at our HOMEGROWN Concessions® Farmers Market, folks eager to not just taste fresh-from-the-farm produce, but to talk about where it came from, how it was grown, and just how darn tasty a Rio Red Texas grapefruit is. People stopped by the exhibit to tell us they were there at Farm Aid II in 1986, or their parents were there, or they haven’t been to a Farm Aid festival yet, but it’s on their bucket list. And many loyal Farm Aid supporters who come year after year (including our amazing Volunteer Coordinator, Cyndi) now come to Luck every year too. We’re grateful to Willie and Annie Nelson, the Luck Family Foundation and our Luck Reunion family for including Farm Aid in their event, for supporting Farm Aid’s mission, and for sharing the love and stories of good food, good music and good people doing good works. You can’t get luckier than that!
Photo © Baylie Beebe
