Editor:

I just want to take a moment and thank everyone for an absolutely wonderful Evanston Bluegrass Festival last weekend. It was the best ever — a beautiful day, a wonderful location and a fun-loving crowd.

It takes so many individuals and organizations to make this event a success — from the bluegrass committee, our partners and sponsors, our talented performers, the artists, food and beverage vendors, the dedicated volunteers and, of course, the audience.

I’d like to give a shout out to our partners. Without their financial assistance and in-kind services, the festival would be an impossibility: Solavore Solar Ovens, Union Wireless, Evanston Community Foundation, Uinta County Herald, Western Wyoming Beverages, The Arts, Inc., Mountain Music, Best Western Dunmar Inn, Evanston Lodging Board/Media Skills Advertising, and the City of Evanston.

The city workers were so helpful — always accommodating and smiling, making our jobs easier and the venue stunning. We love you!

Also extremely important are our sponsors: NGL Connection, Landmark Plumbing and Rocket Sanitation, our fabulous emcee Mike Ellis, Suds Brothers Brewery, Westaf IM Tour, artist Shanna Stott and Salt Lake City Weekly. Your support is invaluable.

If you’re interested in being a part of this growing festival, as a partner, sponsor, vendor, committee member or volunteer, please reach out to us at info@bluegrassevanston.com.

The Bluegrass Evanston clean-up crew would like to thank (profusely!) the good Samaritan who came along early Sunday morning with a trailer and swept the venue of all the trash. We arrived and found a good portion of our job already done. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  

Finally, the success of this year’s festival brings us closer to reaching our goal of bringing two students from our sister school in Ndatani Village, Kenya, to study here at Evanston High School for a year. We are looking forward to next year’s festival. Thank you, all.

Kathy Bella (Bluegrass Evanston Chair)

and the Bluegrass Evanston Committee