Music fest here Aug. 7

McCOOK, Neb. -- After wrapping up the 20th installment of the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival this weekend McCook community leaders are turning their focus on what they hope becomes a similarly successful summer event, an outdoor music festival at Barnett Park.

The Prairie Roots Festival will feature all-ages musical performances from a diverse mix of original Nebraska bands and DJs, coupled with a disc golf tournament, skate park exhibition, micro-brew beer garden and other activities. Representatives from the committee organizing the event appeared before City Council last week and received permission to use portions of Barnett Park, Kelly Park and the Bolles Canyon Skate Park on Sunday, Aug. 7.

The main attraction for the festival will be four music performances coordinated as part of Hear Nebraska's "Good Living Tour." The tour is scheduled for 12 concert days throughout the state in late July and early August, culminating with the finale in McCook. Other host cities include Grand Island, Kearney, Imperial, Hastings, Ord and several others.

McCook is scheduled for musical performances from Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal; Matt Cox; Homemade Crazy; and DJ Nick Fitch.

Hear Nebraska is a non-profit supported by the Nebraska Arts Council and other foundations and brings the staging and lighting for the concerts, including setup and tear down, explained festival committee member Dale Dueland. The non-profit receives a fee for its services which Dueland indicated was covered by local sponsorship for the event.

"The concert must be presented to the public free," he said, adding the McCook Community Foundation, Community Hospital, the McCook Arts Council, the Graff family and McCook National Bank had already committed funds for the event, and discussions were ongoing with others.

The McCook Area Chamber of Commerce will coordinate a beer garden at Barnett Park during the festival, near the military tank on the north edge of the park. Matt Sehnert spoke on behalf of the chamber and said the area would be double fenced and offer craft brews from three different brew pubs with Southwest Nebraska ties.

Brewers include Loop Brewing Co. from McCook, Kinkaider Brewing Co. from Broken Bow and Thunderhead Brewing out of Kearney. The Kinkaider brewery is related to the Schmick's Market family and Thunderhead has ties to the Schaben family in the Indianola area, according to Sehnert.

Several side events supporting the festival have been proposed and are being looked at, according to committee member Rhonda Graff. Among the proposed events is a YMCA-ran volleyball tournament at Barnett Park; a flag football tournament; a fishing tournament; a food contest; and a skateboarding exhibition at the Bolles Canyon Skate Park, among others.

The annual CASA fundraising disc golf tournament at Kelley Park has moved its event to the weekend of the music festival to further bolster activity options.

"What were trying to do is just create a well-rounded event, and just bring in every type of organization and age level and family-friendly type of activity. Then just hopefully get them all down to Barnett Park by that evening," said Graff. The side events are anticipated to start just after noon with the music concert beginning closer to 4 or 5 p.m. and completed by 9:30 or 10 p.m. Graff said the intent is to create a music festival younger people can look forward to every year.

"This is not going to be an event that goes late," added Dueland, reiterating the family friendly nature of the event. "This should be a great event for a lot of different ages," he said, just prior to receiving unanimous approval from City Council.