Fallon’s Fruit Stand Mini Music Festival

Life is full of surprises. For example, it might be surprising to learn that east of town, on June 1,  in a quiet orchard near Harmon Reservoir, music and song jubilantly drifted upward toward a cloudy sky on a hot Saturday afternoon, not from a Bluetooth speaker, car radio or retro boom box, but from over five live bands. 

It began over a month ago when owners of Gala Apple Farm, who wish not to be named, decided to build a bandstand disguised as a fruit stand in their orchard. Why, you ask? For the love of music and family, of course. Only a few days before the event and with much help from friends, family, and neighbors, the Fruit Stand was finally ready to go,  

Kicking off the June 1 show were brothers Jake and Joseph, who came in from L.A. The pair perform improv songs, on the fly. Striking a few chords and adding in some cheesy lyrics, along with a bit of audience participation, Jake and Josh drew a great deal of laughter from the crowd, with everyone merrily joining in.

Taking to the stage for the first time in Fallon (and second time overall) was Lyric Morrow, performing with Will Shamberger and her dad, Jeremy Morrow, in their newly formed band, The Griefs. Lyric held the crowd in thrall, as she seemed to be right at home under the lights of the stage singing like she’d being doing it for years.

As for the audience, each was blessed with soft grass underfoot, shade from giant cottonwoods, and a gentle summer breeze. A perfect day for music and laughter, several other groups were on hand to do what they love – make music. Other bands included Fallon’s own Will Shamberger Band with Will, Jessie Morrow, and Charlie Gomes; Annabelle Lee (Forshee) and the Desert Scrubs featuring Annabelle Lee, Steven Christie on bass, and “Dad” (Clay Forshee) on drums performed what Annabelle called “Fallon Folk Music.” Also venturing in from L.A. with Jake and Joseph was “Kat,” who performed solo, playing guitar and sang folk melodies. Early in the show, Reno group Roxy Collie, fed the audience a good, solid dose of rock-n-roll, revving up them up for what would prove to be nothing short of a music festival. 

With an eclectic sound and a wide variety of genres, apple orchard saw plenty of dancing, toe-tapping, clapping, and smiles. Well-fed and watered, guests stayed long after dark as the music transitioned from stage and speaker to the quiet of the orchard. There, the event was converted into a lawn-chair jam session that lasted until well past midnight. Thankfully for those fortunate enough to attend, the Gala Apple Farm’s hosts love of music was shared with all.