The small, fourth-year festival north of Grand Rapids hopes the COVID-19 crisis will ease by late summer, allowing The Go Rounds, Charlie Millard and other regional acts to perform.
Gathering Around the Fire Pit: A tradition Willowsong hopes will return in August. (Photo/Anna Sink)
With summer music festivals across Michigan canceling almost daily during the coronavirus pandemic, Eric Raby figured “we all needed something positive in our newsfeed.”
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So Eric Raby and his wife, Jo, have announced the lineup for their August 2020 edition of the Willowsong Music Festival north of Grand Rapids, hoping that the COVID-19 crisis will have eased within four months.
“As humans first and festival hosts and organizers second, this pandemic is not only concerning, it is devastating, tragic and yet, an educational experience,” Raby said.
“Mother Earth is definitely telling us to slow our roll. In regard to our confidence to be able to hold the festival in August, we can only hope for the best. We are only now six weeks into this tragedy and still over four months away from Willowsong. We are hoping and believing that by the end of August we will be able to gather and enjoy the wonder of community, art and music once again.”
The Setting: The Willowsong Farmstead. (Photo/Anna Sink)
The fourth-year festival being staged Aug. 28-30 on the Raby farm outside Sidney, Mich., will be headlined by Kalamazoo’s The Go Rounds and northern Michigan’s Charlie Millard Band.
Other regional acts on the bill include After Ours, Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps, Nathan Kalish & The Lastcallers, August, Cold Mountain Child, Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, The Bootstrap Boys, Beaver Xing, Aqua Cherry, The Emery Plews Band, Durieux, Tree No Leaves, Winnie Brave, The Child of Eve and Chandler Carter. Presale tickets are $50 for the weekend; $65 at the gate. Details here.
Compared to other large events, the small festival – which drew about 150 people in 2019, in addition to performers, vendors and organizers – may benefit from its size and location in terms of finances, social distancing and an ability to adjust to current conditions, Raby said.
MONITORING RECOMMENDATIONS TO ‘REMAIN A SAFE SPACE’ FOR ATTENDEES
“Our infrastructure is such that we are able to proceed with all planning and preparation right up until the last minute without incurring a considerable loss,” he said.
“We do not have any corporate sponsors and we are fortunate enough to be able to host the festival on our own property. Essentially, as long as we mow the lawn and maintain a social media presence from a safe distance, we are ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
Returning in 2020: Nathan Kalish (Photo/Anna Sink)
He also said organizers would “continue to monitor recommendations from our trusted scientists and doctors regarding health and safety … and adjust accordingly” in terms of implementing policies and procedures for Willowsong attendees.
Raby said any future decision on proceeding with the August festival would be based not only on government regulations, but “upon a clear knowledge that we can proceed and ensure Willowsong remain a safe space for all of our artists, attendees, vendors and staff.”
He noted that interest in Willowsong – which tied for No. 8 in the 2020 Local Spins Readers’ Poll of favorite Michigan music festivals – has remained high and encouraging since posting information about the lineup.
“We have seen that post reach over 2,500 people organically and all comments have been hopeful and uplifting in light of these dark times,” he said.
Get more information about the festival and a link to volunteer online here.
Check out Local Spins coverage of Willowsong 2019 — Willowsong Music Festival 2019 Revisited: Welcoming, diverse, ‘as good as it gets’
Copyright 2020, Spins on Music LLC
