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| Stranger Band at 2014 Groovefest |
The Independent
Groovefest Music and Art Festival is celebrating its thirteenth year in the downtown district of Cedar City. The free festival begins on Monday, June 22, with the third annual Groove Kids Concert and will run through the Gospel Brunch and Redemption Hour on Sunday, June 28. The highlight of the week is two days of live music, art and food in Cedar City’s own Main Street Park.
The first event of the week, the Groove Kids Concert, has become a local favorite for families. A celebration of the next generation of local talent, Groove Kids is an inspiring evening orchestrated by the volunteer Groove Crew. Sponsored by Groovefest partner Anderton Orthodontics, hosted by Master of Ceremonies Mayor Maile L. Wilson, and under the dedicated and watchful eye of musician and local business owner Marty Warburton, Groove Kids is a free family event for all ages. Doors open at the Heritage Center Theater at 6 p.m., and everyone is welcome to enjoy the Musical Instrument Petting Zoo prior to the show start at 7:00 p.m.
The Groovefest Music and Art Festival became a week-long Cedar City festival in 2013 and includes musicians, artists, and writers. Musical performances are held for two days in the downtown Main Street Park alongside the Cedar City Arts Festival, which is now organized by the Iron Mission Foundation. The week’s events include Groove Kids on Monday, Lit Fest and the Energy of Words on Tuesday, Campfire Concert in the Canyon on Wednesday, and after-hours kick-off shows on Thursday. On the weekend, music workshops, after-hours shows, two stages in the park, the Sunday Gospel Brunch, and the Redemption Hour will wrap up the festivities.
Groovefest was originally created in Oregon in 1993 as the passion project of Tim and Lisa Cretsinger, who moved to Cedar City in 2000 and shared their festival concept. Groovefest began in Cedar City in 2002 as a small parking lot concert and has blossomed into a week-long extravaganza—a seven-day celebration of the arts.
“What I want to do is to introduce our community members to the wonderful musicians that they may not have seen but likewise to show our area to a group of performers that may have never been to this beautiful place before,” said Tim Cretsinger. “We live in vacationland, and I want to share that.”
Cretsinger no longer actively solicits acts. He says that they come to him with the desire to play at the festival.
“We take exceptional care of the artists. We have signed bands that have never been east of the Mississippi, and they’re blown away!” Cretsinger said.
The schedule this year is extensive. For everything that festival-goers need to know about the festival, please visit www.groovefestutah.com.
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