Big Pine wraps with strong lineup at fairgrounds | PHOTO GALLERY

ALBANY — Music fans danced and sang along to chart-topping and rising stars like Clarence Carter, Shovels & Rope, and Chris Stapleton Saturday during the second day of the Big Pine Music Festival at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds.

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The weather was ideal, and a number of families were among those who gathered for the festival.

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“This is a really cool event,” Kraig Gaffey of Atlanta said as he and his family — wife Natalie and kids Chamblee, 4, Jacob, 2, and Josephine, 1 — sat on the ground in front of the Big Pine Stage, listening to local favorites Evan Barber & the Dead Gamblers. “Natalie is from Albany, so we came down for the festival. We’re all having a great time.”

Stapleton, who is recognized as one of Nashville’s best young songwriters and who wrote the chart-topping hit “Drink a Beer” for Leesburg native and country superstar Luke Bryan, and the husband/wife duo Shovels & Rope drew the biggest crowds of the evening, but fans wandered from the Big Pine to the Bud Light and Locos stages to catch local and regional favorites like Saint Francis, Meow Kapow, Blastov and Anne Cline.

Big Pine shoppers Haley White and Carolyn Evers of Albany came by vendor booths like Southern Wanderlust to pick up bargains on some unusual items.

“We’re having a good time, White said as she and Evers looked over a rack of blouses. “We came to hear the music, but we have to do some shopping, too,” Evers added.

Jennifer Smith watched over inflatables as kids burned off energy on a perfect South Georgia fall afternoon.

“I think the parents love dropping the kids by here because they’re safe and they burn off a whole lot of energy,” Smith said.

Barber, whose Gamblers were a crowd favorite and who was the principle organizer of the festival, offered fans some sage advice during his band’s mid-afternoon set.

“There’s a lot more to come. Pace yourselves,” Barber advised.

Meanwhile, 6-year-old Finn Campbell proved his bravery by taking on the mechanical bull, provided for the festival by Ryan Duffy of the Charleston (S.C.) Fun Factory. As soon as Finn hit the foam padding surrounding the beast, he hopped up, ready to have another go.

Asked by a reporter if his name had two n’s in it, Finn replied, “Yes, and one ‘f’ and one ‘i.’”