Home 
Features GO Magazine AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL
AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL
 Americana Music Festival (). By Jeff Petersen Observer Staff Writer La Grande will kick off the summer in style this year. More than 500 people are expected for the first Americana Music Festival June 18-19 at the Union County Fairgrounds. The highly interactive two-day festival will feature blues, jazz, country, rock and roll, folk and bluegrass performances by local, regional and nationally known musicians. This year's lineup includes legendary harmonica ace Paul deLay, the hot swing and Gypsy jazz of Django's Cadillac, bluegrass artist Molly Bloom, Baker City blues master Jimmy Lloyd Rea and many others. "It's a celebration of American music and culture," said Grady Goodall, who along with Colleen MacLeod is co-chairing the festival planning committee, a group of local volunteers. "We'll have everything from old-time fiddling to blues musicians and just about everything in between." Music will continue all day long with few breaks on the main and satellite stages. Also expect a beer garden, local food, and arts and crafts vendors. Many festival-goers will camp on site, bring their own instruments and jam with the performers late into the evening. What's more, the festival will be a chance to hone musical skills, as many of the performers will give workshops. For example, deLay, known as one of the best harmonica players in the world, will be among the performers giving workshops Saturday. "The beauty of the Americana Music Festival is that it bridges so many styles," Goodall said. "There's really something for everyone." Americana music is a celebration of roots music. It combines blues, jazz, country, rock and roll, folk, bluegrass pretty much any kind of music a person can think of. Ticket prices have yet to be set. Tickets will be available around town and at the gate. There is no reserved seating. Funding for the festival comes primarily from ticket sales, local corporate sponsors and local economic development funds, including Union County Economic Development, Union County Tourism, The Observer and others. This festival is also made possible by partnerships with the Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council and the Union County Performance Fund. The committee believes it will grow in attendance and notoriety year by year. "We're committed to starting a festival that will grow each year and be beneficial to the area both economically and culturally," Goodall said. The committee picked the date because the 51st annual World Fiddling Championships is in Weiser, Idaho, which bills itself as Fiddling Capital of the World, June 21-26. About 350 contestants compete in eight divisions. People traveling to Idaho, the committee figured, could stop in here and enjoy the La Grande festival as a warmup. |
