Opening night for Brookstock XVII was a hit.

Singer/songwriter night at Recess 101 Thursday drew a large crowd. Every seat was filled and people stood in any empty spot they could find.

Recess 101 has been involved with Brookstock since 2009. In the past, it was the site of a pre-Brookstock party on Friday, but that evolved into a singer/songwriter night on Thursday.

“We want to provide a place for original music,” said Teresa Moyer, owner of Recess 101. “Successful, local artists like Sam Mooney and Betsy Berryhill first learned how to perform in front of people here. We love original music and want this to be a community thing.”

Berryhill, along with Charlie Hewitt, Mike McCall, Drew Different and Virgil Brawley, entertained the crowd with each taking turns and performing original music.

Don Jacobs, one of the founders of Brookstock, is happy to see the schedule cover the weekend.

“It started out as just a one-night thing,” Jacobs said. “About two or three years ago, Shaw Furlow approached me about the possibility of turning this into weekend thing. I was thrilled because it made it into a bigger event.”

Brookstock has become a three-day event with singer/songwriter night on Thursday night at Recess 101, Brookstock Too on Friday night at the Haven Theatre, Brookstock breakfast at Chism’s Diner today morning and Brookstock today night at the Brookhaven Building on Industrial Park Road.

Singer/songwriter night featured the talent of local artists. Brookstock Too is an event aimed at a younger audience and upcoming musicians looking to perform. The Brookstock concert will feature the original bands and local artists who began the event in 2000.

“Brookstock night is so much fun,” Jacobs said. “I’d like to see this event continue. We’re not getting any younger. I’d like to see it become a major event in Brookhaven for years to come. One thing that’s come out of this, is that a lot of the upcoming musicians have not really had a place to play for years. Now they do.”

An interesting item that will be sold at Brookstock tonight is a documentary on the history of the event. The DVD will feature interviews with several musicians and how Brookstock began.

Brookstock XVII will begin at 7 p.m. tonight at the Brookhaven Building on Industrial Park Road.

The doors open at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 per person.