Crossroads Stage kickoff Event: Crossroads Blues Festival

By Liv Stecker

Drawing on volunteers from across the spectrum of talents, for the past year a crew of dedicated local artists, craftsmen and musicians have worked to build the Crossroads Stage in Happy Dell Park in Kettle Falls. Driven by donated funds and materials and a vision spearheaded by Dave Blanck, the stage was constructed to serve as a showcase for local talent as well as visiting bands, while bringing the community together with visitors from outside of the area as well. 

This June 16th - 18th, The Crossroads Stage will experience initiation during the Crossroads Blues Festival, a weekend packed full of local music and fun. Organizer Bill Holmes hails from a background of 17 years hosting the Rock Cut Blues Festival at the Rock Cut Campground located near Orient. Passing on the campground to new owners, Bill joined a committee in the Kettle Falls area to develop the idea of the Crossroads Blues Festival. “It’s great being part of a committee with such a great group of people.” Bill says, after managing the Rock Cut Festival for many years on his own. 

Pursuing the theme of the Kettle Falls region as a cultural gathering grounds for people from all walks of life throughout history, The Crossroads Stage and Festival are geared towards highlighting local musicians and bringing visitors from all over to the geographic and cultural meeting place for entertainment and fellowship. For the first year of the stage and festival, Bill says that the toughest part is getting the word out and the people in. “The best advertising is the people who come to the festival and tell everybody else about it,” he says, but just starting out makes word-of-mouth advertising hard to get going. 

Featuring nine bands originating out of Spokane and northward, the Crossroads Blues Festival begins on Thursday night with a cover-free concert featuring Anita Royce & The High Rollers starting at 7 PM at Northern Ales and continues into Friday beginning at 6 PM on the newly christened stage. Friday bands include Vantage Point, Charlie Butts and the Filter Tips, and the Sara Brown Band. Saturday afternoon the festival picks up at 1 PM and features the Borderland Blues Band, The Northern Aliens, Bakin’ fat, Atomic Jive and the Bobby Patterson Band. Four of the nine featured bands are from the Kettle Falls area, capturing the spirit of the stage and the festival. 

Camping is available at the venue, $10 per person for the weekend. Festival tickets are $20 for Friday only, $25 for Saturday only or $30 for the whole weekend. Food vendors will be on hand to feed festival goers, along with the many great eateries in Kettle Falls and the surrounding area. For more information, check out the website www.crossroadsstage.com, call 509.675.9418 or find them on Facebook.