Smithville Music Festival
WOW!!! The 1st Annual Smithville Music Festival was a great success. I would like to commend the Smithville Community for pulling together to make this Festival a huge hit. The SMF showed just how much a live music venue is needed in this area. As one of the Event Organizers, I was pretty busy, but I got to see some amazing stuff throughout the day and night. The kids faces would light up when they picked what they wanted to become at the Full Face Painting Station. The clown, Bonzo Crunch, was a huge hit with his bodacious buffoonery and balloon animals. The SHS Class Reunions were surprised when the Smithville High School Marching Band came to their area and played the school fight song. I don’t believe there was anyone at the event that wasn’t touched by the Fallen Comrade Ceremony. Most people have never seen this type ceremony and it was truly special. The Balloon Glow was an awesome sight, especially when the sun was setting.
Now let’s talk about the MUSIC!!! The day was filled with a wide variety of music, everything from Cajun Rock, Reggae, Country, Alternative and Jazz. When the Festival Stage opened The Peterson Brothers Band just blew the crowd away with their performance. These young boys will go far in the music industry. Dale Watson had the crowd wanting to either go drive an 18-wheeler or do a bit of two-steppin’ and he’s a great performer. The Jones Family Singers cast a spell over the crowd and had them doing whatever the lead singer requested. When Jimmie Vaughan, 4 time Grammy Award winner, came on stage, I actually stopped in my tracks and was taken in by his music. Jimmie can play a guitar like no one else I’ve ever seen and he makes it look so easy. This was my first time to see Jimmie perform live and it was such a treat to see. Hannibal Lokumbe, Jazz Trumpeteer, joined Jimmie on stage and played a rendition of When The Saints Go Marching In and this was the best version I’ve ever heard. I saw Hannibal perform in New Orleans, so I knew he was a great performer, but he played his heart out for his home-town crowd. Hannibal is from Smithville, so it was great to showcase one of Smithville’s own. Lou Ann Barton joined Jimmie on stage and I’m here to tell ya – that woman can SING!!! Our Emcee for the night is our local Post Master. He did an excellent job and kept the crowd alive between acts. We were honored when the Office of Music came on stage to give Smithville a Proclamation for the Festival and the West End Park. Michael Corcoran wrote a great article about West End Park a couple of weeks ago, so go to his blog at Austin360 to see the history of this establishment.
We look forward to putting on more shows, so keep your eyes/ears open for our next event.