Hardcore fans of Winfield’s Walnut Valley Festival will start lining up this week to claim prime camping acreage at the fairground but more low key fans still have a few weeks to get tickets.
This year promises a variety of new musical flavors for the 15,000-plus acoustic music fans that attend the annual five-day event that runs from Sept. 12-16 this year. Festival organizers say 2007’s slate of first-time performers is longer than in other years.
“We just thought after the 35th anniversary last year that it was time to revamp things a bit,” Rex Flotttman, a spokesperson for the festival, said this morning. “It was time.”
Campers can start lining up at the fairground Thursday.
Longtime favorites like Tommy Emmanuel and The Wilders will still make appearances, but will not be on the schedule everyday like in years past. Festival stalwarts Tom Chapin and Stephen Bennett are taking a year off.
That makes room for new acts that include up and comer Alecia Nugent and Greenwillis, a bluegrass trio whose members are all under the age of 20. A number of other first timers are also on the bill. For a full list visit www.wvfest.com.
Heavy flooding at the Winfield Fairground has caused concerns about whether the show will go on this year, Flottman said. But, he said, repairs have been made quickly and few, if any, out of the ordinary arrangements will have to be made due to flood damage.
“There were a lot of questions about the flooding,” he said.
Gary Mangus, Winfield’s assistant city manager, said the fairground is mostly back to pre-flood condition with only minor exceptions.
“With our busy season, the fair, K&O and the festival, coming up right after the flood,” he said, “we had to have everything as back to normal as possible. We hope people don’t notice too much of a difference.”
The festival will make a few new accommodations to fully comply with handicapped accessibility requirements. There may also be some last-minute schedule juggling needed after festival brass learned this week that Rusty Jacobs, of the band Wood’s Tea Co., died unexpectedly. It’s not clear yet how the band will continue.
“We’re just kind of waiting to see. It’s a bit of a curveball for us,” Flottman said. “They have a number of dates scheduled to play over the next year. So it may be a matter of them picking up someone to perform with them.”
A funeral for Jacobs, a founding member of the folk group, was set for Monday in Vermont, according to the group’s Website. Wood’s Tea last played the festival in 1987 and were looking forward to a return.
Tickets remain on sale for this year’s festival, for more information (620) 221-3250. It’s also possible to pick up tickets at the festival office, 918 Main in Winfield.
