Bluegrass festival keeps seeing increased success

Bryon Glathar, Herald Managing Editor
Posted 6/30/17

Evanston Bluegrass Festival a success

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Bluegrass festival keeps seeing increased success

Posted

EVANSTON — The Evanston Bluegrass Festival had another record year, as far as attendees and fundraising go. The seventh annual event was held Friday-Saturday, June 23-24, at Historic Depot Square in Evanston. Bluegrass Evanston chair Kathy Bella said about 1,200 people made it out for a weekend of great music, delicious food and agreeable weather, raising $10,000 along the way.

“It was a fabulous weekend,” Bella said. “We had record numbers. This was the biggest ever, for sure.”

Bella said the event’s success is due to a combination of a lot of things.

“We had some really good advertising, a strong lineup,” she said. “A lot of people are returning from year to year, so they know about it. I think that’s what’s led to being more successful and better attended.”

She said a few local organizations helped the festival take advantage of an advertising blitz in the Salt Lake Valley, where many people who attended the festival live.

As the festival has grown over the years, it’s seen some changes. This year’s event was changed to the Evanston Bluegrass Festival, whereas prior years’ events were called the Beer, Brats and Bluegrass Festival (though both beer and brats were still available this year).

This year’s event also included a house concert, which featured festival favorite Jalan Crossland. He played to a nearly-full Beeman-Cashin building crowd Friday night as attendees ate dinner. Others gathered outside the building to enjoy Crossland’s music. Bella said they will have another house concert next year.

“The house concert was a glorious success,” Bella said. “Everybody just raved about it — the dinner, the music. Jalan Crossland was just awesome. He just grabbed hold of their attention and never let it go all night long. The food from Solavore was amazing.”

Saturday featured bands from late morning up until 11 p.m. Families packed the lawn in front of the stage, as children played with hula hoops or danced to the music.

Bella said future plans include bringing in well-known performers, people who are known regionally and even nationally. She said she hopes to welcome acts that span the bluegrass genre and some that might even stretch the boundaries of bluegrass.

Funds from the event benefit students in the remote Kenyan village Ndatani. Bluegrass Evanston partnered with the nonprofit Build African Schools back in 2008. Then, with much help from Uinta County School District No. 1 and local community members, they raised enough funds to build Ndatani Secondary School. Organizers have since made two trips to Kenya to visit students at the school. 

Bella said the organization’s goal is to bring one boy and one girl student from the school to study at Evanston High School for a year. She said they’re on track to accomplish that goal during the 2018-19 school year.