“Rooted in love and positivity” are the guiding words behind the Charlemont Reggae Festival. Now in its 26th year, the festival will take place on Friday, Aug. 16, and Saturday, Aug. 17. For the first time, the reggae festival will run for two days and include camping.

The family-friendly event runs from 1 to 10 p.m. each day, and will feature 15 acts performing on two stages at the beautiful Charlemont fairgrounds. There will also be vendors, food trucks, and activities for the kids. Children under 12 are admitted for free.

The lineup includes national and local reggae artists, including Sister Nancy, Easy Star All-Stars, Yaadcore, Talking Dreads, Rebelle, IanI Soultree & the Soul Rizer Crew, The Pilfers, The Valley Moonstompers, Abdul Baki and Root Fiyah, Jah Rich and Brave Prince, Wheelout Acoustic, and Adam S.Z. and Friends, The OG Equalites, and DJ I-ganic.

This year’s festival will honor the memory of musician and festival leader Ras John Bullock and musician and sound engineer Chris Dixon.

Beginning in 2019, Hawks & Reed took over the festival’s operation, which had previously been run by reggae artist Ras John Bullock, and before that, festival founder Abdul Baki.

Ras John, a Loose Caboose and the Alchemystics member, was a major ambassador of reggae in the Northeast throughout his lifetime.

At the time of his death in 2017, he had been overseeing the festival with his wife, Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth asked us if we would take over the festival. It was too much work for her after Ras John passed on,” said Steve Goldsher, owner of Hawks & Reed, in a recent phone call. “I understand why she said that now,” he laughed. Hawks & Reed has encountered a few roadblocks since taking on the responsibility in 2019, most notably the pandemic, which led to the festival’s cancelation in 2020 and 2021. They had a successful year in 2022 but had to cancel last year due to a family illness.

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Now, they are back and moving ahead at full speed.

“My son Ben (manager of Hawks & Reed) said we could grow this and make it bigger and better by adding camping and the extra day,” said Goldsher. “Camping is something the vendors have asked for in the past,” he said. “It seems like a good fit.”

Goldsher is proud of the lineup they have put together and feels that festivalgoers will enjoy the entire weekend.

The headliner on Saturday night is Sister Nancy, a native of Kingston, Jamaica. She was the first female dancehall DJ and has been described as a leader on the dancehall scene for two decades. Her song “Bam Bam” is one of the most sampled reggae songs ever, and has been sampled in songs by Jay-Z, Kanye West, and many others.

“I first connected with Sister Nancy when she played at Hawks & Reed,” said Goldsher. “Many people associate reggae with all male performers, and we liked the concept of having a female performer so that people will know that this music encompasses everybody.”

While Sister Nancy is old-school reggae, Yaardcore, who will also play on Saturday, is part of the new reggae revival — a group of young reggae musicians and DJs blending classic reggae with modern music-making. He is one of the most prominent and influential DJs working today.

On Friday, the headliner is Easy Star All-Stars, who are best known for their interpretations of classic rock albums. Their 2003 take on Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” which they recorded as “Dub Side of the Moon,” is a cult classic. Last year, they took on David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” album and called it “Ziggy Stardub.” Also in this vein are the Talking Dreads, who put their reggae spin on the Talking Heads’ music.

A couple of weeks ago, Hawks & Reed hosted a ska festival, and they are excited to bring a couple of bands from that festival to Charlemont, including the ska fest headliners, the third-wave ska band, the Pilfers.

“They were fantastic, and I wanted to have them here; they will be driving up from a gig in Philadelphia to be in Charlemont.” The local ska band, the Valley Moonstompers, will also be playing at the reggae fest

Other local artists include IanI SoulTree & the Soul Rizer Crew, Adam S.Z. and friends, and DJ I-ganic. Some of the local performers, like Rebelle and OG Equalites, have been playing at the festival for many years.

When we talk about longevity, we have to mention Abdul Baki, who founded the festival in 1998 and played it around 10 times with his then-band, New Roots. This year he will play both days with his current band, Root Fiyah.

The Charlemont Reggae Festival started in a roundabout way when Baki was asked to bring his reggae band, New Roots, to play at the Charlemont Fairgrounds as part of the town’s Yankee Doodle Days celebration.

He played before a crowd he was quite sure was unfamiliar with reggae music, but by the end of his set, they were tapping their feet. At the same time that the audience was discovering this new music, Baki discovered that the location was a perfect place for live music. “Since I knew so many of the local reggae bands, I thought this would be a great place for a reggae festival,” he said.

He pitched the idea to the town and got the go-ahead, as well as incredible support from the local press and business community.

A couple of years into the event, Baki recruited local musician Chris Dixon to do sound, a job he continued over the years. “He was great,” said Baki. “It’s not easy to make sounds in that setting because of all the trees; he was an expert at it.”

About six years into the festival, Baki had to step away from running the event and Ras John took over. He continued to build on the festival’s reputation as a fun, laidback event that provides a joyful celebration of music from Jamaica.

“It was more than a festival. It was a celebration, and I’m proud of it and happy that it continues, and that Steve and Ben have been able to do this and do it so well,” said Baki. “It’s a beautiful festival in a beautiful place.”

“It’s been a bit of a trial by fire,” said Goldsher. “But we’ve tried to step it up by bringing in national talent like Sister Nancy, expanding it to two days, and adding the camping,” he said. “We think it’s going to be a good year.”

Advance day and weekend tickets and camping info is available at Hawksandreed.com. Tickets will also be sold at the gate. Gates open at 1 p.m. both days.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.