Winfield's Walnut Valley Festival

by Seth Bate, Dan Crary, Beppe Gambetta, John McCutcheon, Orin Friesen

Overview

Local historian Seth Bate tells the story of the Walnut Valley Festival with reflections from staff, emcees, performers, campers, and characters from throughout its history.

The Festival was launched in 1972 when a guitar maker, a farmer, and a businessman built their own music festival from the ground up. It has made the small town of Winfield into an annual destination for acoustic musicians and music lovers from around the world and it has always been participatory, with the informal campsite pickin' as much a part of the event as the stage shows and instrumental contests. The Walnut Valley Festival has always been proud of its deep-rooted traditions, but most of all, it is a community celebration.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439675939
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	08/15/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Seth Bate, MA, PCC, moved to Winfield, Kansas, in 1989. He fell in love with a Kansas farm girl and a local music festival, and he stayed. His interest in local history was sparked by traveling Kansas for his work at the Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute. Seth's writing has been recognized by the Kansas Association of Historians and appeared in the Kansas Leadership Center Journal. IG: @sethinkansas.

Table of Contents

Foreword Kendra Redford 5

Acknowledgements 13

1 Southwestern Folk and Winfield Bluegrass Sam Ontjes 15

2 Attending in the Early Years Wayne Steadham 20

3 "We Wanted to Do Something for Winfield" Seth Bate 28

4 The Great Twentieth-Century Guitar Rush Dan Crary 36

5 And the Winner Is: The Walnut Valley Association Contests Jeannine Edward Foster, with updates from Karen Deal 41

6 Pickers Paradise Seth Bate 60

7 Stage 5 Russell Sherry Brace 73

8 The Peculiar Adventures of the Donut Tractors Poppin' Johnnies 79

9 Winfield Memories Tim Sidebottom 83

10 The Walnut Valley Voice Larry Junker 91

11 Honored to Mix Greg Smyer 100

12 Don't Tell Bob Leo Eilts 104

13 Coming Home Linda Tilton 107

14 From Genova to Winfield Beppe Gambetta 111

15 "More a State of Mind Than a Bluegrass Festival" Seth Bate 116

16 Reflections on Fifty Years Orin Friesen 128

17 Winfield Over Time John McCutcheon 134

Conclusion Bart Redfbrd 139

Appendix A Walnut Valley Festival Milestones 147

Appendix B Entertainers 1972-2021 153

About the Editor 176