 Besides four days of music on the main stage, the festival hosts band and songwriting competitions, a kid's bluegrass academy, workshops with headlining bands, and separate picking and quiet camping areas.The Podunk Bluegrass Festival was founded in the winter of 1995-96, by then Mayor of East Hartford, CT, Robert DeCrescenzo with assistance by recording studio owner Mike Hayden and musician/radio host Kevin Lynch.It was DeCrescenzo's vision to renovate large sections of the city and, in addition, establish an arts scene downtown.