The annual Roots N Blues BBQ Festival kicks off tomorrow at 3:45 p.m. at Stephens Lake Park and continues until 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets to the anticipated featured performances are available for purchase online, in the box offices or at the ticket gate. Students can use the code MARENDOTEDU to receive up to a 40 percent discounted ticket to the fashionable, free-spirited festival that has established itself as a crown jewel of Columbia.

This year the event is under the new ownership of Maddy Kovaleski

This year the event is under the new ownership of Jamie Vasari, Tracy Lane and Shay Jasper. They bought Thumper Productions from Richard King, who started the festival in 2007.

Vasari said they are adequately prepared for the duties the new title demands as they have worked on the show behind the scenes for years. Additionally, he said their experience will benefit the organizational process with changes such as the moving of the website.

“The normal festival [attendee] is going to walk away from the experience thinking ‘Hey, that was cooler than it’s ever been,’ but they’re not going to know why,” Vasari said. “There are just some subtle changes. We are going to make the process and experience smoother and better.”

Back in 2007, the fair began as a free promotional event honoring the 150th anniversary of Boone County National Bank, now called the Central Bank of Boone County. In its first year, the event attracted around 70,000 attendees; since then, however, turnout has declined because of admission fees.

Still, during last year’s festival, Roots N Blues drew more than 10,000 audience members each day, a number the owners hope to see grow this year.

Junior Maddy Kovaleski, who has attended four or five festivals, believes all can enjoy Roots N Blues and especially encourages those who have never experienced the event to attend.

For newcomers, Kovaleski recommends bringing “comfy shoes, a lawn chair for one of the bigger stages and a jacket” if they plan on staying late into the night. Senior Grace Dablemont also said audience members should bring more money than they plan to, especially since she said Roots N Blues offers more than just music, but a variety of delicious, yet pricey food options as well.

“[Attending] also supports the local economy like local businesses,” Kovelaski said. “Plus, knowing bands personally is just a different experience than music you can only experience through a screen.”
Roots N Blues connects with Columbia Public Schools (CPS) through Darkroom Records, a recording studio catered to students, which has a new recording program and studio at RBHS.

Dablemont said Darkroom Records hosts a busking competition to showcase young artists at the gates of the event.

Although the student performers do not actually earn money through busking, which is playing for donations, they receive a free Roots N Blues pass that Dablemont said is “a lot of money.”

“[Last year,] I got a little stage toward the entrance, so as people walked in they got to hear me play guitar and vocals,” Dablemont said. “I played for 30 minutes one day, 30 minutes the next.”

With student acts adding to the event, major headliners include seven Grammy Award Winners: Maren Morris, Ben Harper, John Prine, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Amanda Shires, Patty Griffin and Del McCoury.

Kovalaski said, however, she is most excited for the local band Violet and the Undercurrents, which she said, “put a lot of work into making quality music and are some of the coolest people.”

Regardless of which artist one prefers, Kovaleski said the show has something for everyone, from pop to rock to country.

“Local musicians are a huge part of Columbia’s culture,” Kovaleski said. “There’s a local band for everyone’s taste, and that’s an identity that’s absolutely worth protecting.”

What’s your favorite part about Roots N Blues? Let us know in the comments below.