Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
TEN SLEEP – The 20th edition of the Nowoodstock Music Festival is set to kick off this Friday, Aug. 13, at 5 p.m. and finish on Sunday, Aug. 15 at Vista Park in Ten Sleep.Last year’s Nowoodstock was to be the 20th consecutive edition of the event that was started by Pat O’Brien back in 2001, but due to COVID-19 O’Brien delayed the event until this summer.
O’Brien said that the event will house a lot of familiar faces this summer.
The event kicks off with local artist Lacey Nelson who will start the event at 5 p.m. She is also featured Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m.
Returning artists include blues rock/pop artist Taylor Scott Band, a bluegrass band called Prairie Wildfire out of Buffalo, a five-piece horn-based group out of New York with a jazzy style called The RT’s, a six-piece Cuban funk band called John Roberts y Pan Blanco based out of Billings and the Low Water String Band, a four-piece bluegrass band based out of Lander.
O’Brien said that one returning act this year is Jalan Crossland, who has been a part of every Nowoodstock since its creation.
“Jalan has been as responsible for this being a success as anybody,” O’Brien said.
New acts this year include Rob Weimann, who won the Wyoming Singer-Songwriter Competition in Ten Sleep two years ago and is now making the journey up from Thermopolis for his first Nowoodstock. Another new artist is Quinn Cerovski & Black Mountain Blues, with Cerovski being another competitor from the singer-songwriter competition.
O’Brien said that despite discussions with the Town of Ten Sleep and with a company to bring in COVID-19 testing on-site, there will be no testing after discussions with the testing company broke down.
O’Brien did say there will not be a home-made instrument area to teach anyone this year, as he does not want everybody compacted in one area.
O’Brien was happy to say that there will be a new stage this year which will allow for more freedom from the artists to walk around.
He said this year’s event will be crowded so come prepared.