EVANSTON — Fantastic music, great food, storytelling, abundant sunshine, family fun and the ever-present Wyoming wind were all on hand for the annual Bluegrass Festival at Depot Square the weekend of June 22-23. 

Friday evening featured the house concert inside at the Beeman-Cashin building. An excellent dinner served by the Evanston High School art club made for full stomachs while lively conversation, storytelling, music and general community good cheer provided some nourishment for the soul. 

The concert opened with local favorite Ridge Gilmour performing as a duo with partner Anne Carroll Gilmour, entertaining with multiple tunes including a song inspired by the Evanston community, appropriately entitled “Evanston, Wyoming.” 

Following Ridge Gilmour, the trio of Alysia Kraft, Staci Foster and Tobias Bank on drums, known as Whippoorwill, brought the house down with their energetic set, which included plenty of audience interaction and storytelling. Kraft, a Wyoming native from Encampment, spoke a lot about small towns and being raised in Wyoming, along with tales of haunted banjos, lost and found guitars and the magnetic attraction between drunk guys and harmonicas. 

The outdoor portion of the festival on Saturday featured six bluegrass bands. Blankets and lawn chairs filled the lawn at Depot Square as folks enjoyed the entertainment provided by not only the musicians themselves but the many kids dancing and playing on the lawn right in front of the stage. 

The wind began to pick up, and continued to pick up, throughout the afternoon, leading to some creative display decisions by vendors to keep their signs and their wares from blowing away. The whipping wind did little to dampen the enthusiasm of concert-goers, who continued to show their appreciation for the musicians on stage. 

Groups, including The Barton Hills Choir, The Good Time Travelers, Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, Wild Mountain, Nu Blu and The Barefoot Movement, continued to delight with both words and music. Nu Blu performed original pieces and some cover tunes from the likes of Bob Dylan and Juice Newton, with front woman Carolyn Routh sharing her belief that the best music ever, across all genres, came out of the 1980s. 

By the time the sun began to go down, the wind ushered in some unseasonable cold, which did result in some folks heading home, especially those with kids. The couple hundred who remained for the late-night after-party featuring reggae artist Pato Banton and his band were not disappointed. 

Banton insisted those who remained, even those bundled up in blankets and coats, get up near the stage and dance. His infectious enthusiasm and grooves proved irresistible as young and old, those in cowboy hats and ball caps and “hippie” attire, were up dancing and chanting along. 

Festival organizer Kathy Bella said attendance was down slightly from last year, but high in enthusiasm. She estimated about 1000 people attended throughout the day Saturday.

The event, which serves as a fundraiser for the Build African Schools Evanston Project, raised a few thousand dollars, said Bella. 

Besides the fundraising, however, Bella said, “We feel it is a wonderful event for the community and the surrounding area. Such a relaxing event in which people can meet and hang out with friends and family, let their kids play, listen to some great music in a beautiful venue.” 

Her assessment definitely sums up the weekend.