Festival Returns for 5th Year

By CATHERINE ELLERTON

Moapa Valley Progress

As excited festival-goers entered the fairgrounds at the Logandale Fall Festival on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, October 18-20, they were greeted by a set of very large and smiling pigs. In fact, these welcoming pig figures were placed all about the fairgrounds leading festival-goers to the various attractions.

At the center of the festival was a gathering of some of the best bluegrass music performers in the western U.S. Altogether there were ten bands to dance to, sing to, and enjoy, including Blue grass Etc., Hard Road Trio, Native Grass Band, Rusted Spurs West, and Marty Warburton & Home Girls.

I found a shady spot in the grass and listened to the Just For Fun Band who sang about “Philadelphia Lawyers” and a “Road Kill Song” among several prison songs. The Old Blue Band from the Phoenix, Arizona area included “Many A Mile” and “City Lights Shine” in their program.

Later on, I took a moment to catch The Washburn Family Bluegrass Band on stage. This band is made up of Mom and Dad and three sons, ages 15, 12, and 10. These young musicians were all the more remarkable as their program continued with “Battle of New Orleans,” “Hallelujah I’m Ready To Go,” and “Salty Dog” among other outstanding instrumental selections.

This performance also presented an ‘ah-hah’ moment when the banjo being played broke. Coming to the rescue was the popular Frequent Flyers Band members with a loaner banjo for the performance.

The Saturday night finale was something to see. Before an enthusiastic audience of more than 350 people, talented performers from many of the top bands at the festival came together on stage for a Bluegrass jam session.
“Anyone that was not there on Saturday night missed one of the best musical performances that you could get anywhere,” said Fall Festival promoter Rik Eide. “It was absolutely amazing. That was a $100 show all by itself!”

Another big attraction at the Festival was a crowd interactive adventure presented by the Fertile Dirt Band. Keltie Kimball and Keith Behunin, of St. George, Utah gave wanna-be musicians an opportunity to play along with their signature Bluegrass sound.

Noticing the five-string banjo Keith held, I had a conversation about that instrument. He said it is given credit as the only original American-invented instrument when Joel Sweeney added that extra string in 1850.
I was soon instructed on the proper way to hold musical spoons, and quickly added washboard background and singing along to my skillset.

On Friday, this musical duo held the attention of a whole crowd of first graders from Grant Bowler Elementary School. The kids were soon playing and singing along to a very vibrant “Old McDonald Had A Farm.”

Even political candidates were getting into the act on Friday afternoon. At one point, governor candidate, Adam Laxalt, and lieutenant governor candidate, Michael Roberson, were found smiling and jamming along with the band on various bluegrass instruments.

Next I headed to The Adventure in the Kids Zone to find out what all the squeals and laughter were about. The inflatables venue from Richmond, Utah said the Extreme Challenge inflatable was the most popular. It was here I found two-year-old Dash and four-year-old Elise Klein of Las Vegas enthusiastically sliding down Rockin Rapids.

Smokey the Bear made a celebrity appearance at the Festival. He and his friends were showing the children a fire hose.
I decided to wander through the vendors in the Fine Arts Building and along the walkway. The variety of goods available ran the gamut from handmade potholders, potato bakers, and tortilla warmers to Reflections In Metal, Jan’s Scottish Shortbread, Partners In Conservation, Beef Jerky Outlet, beaded jewelry, and the fine art of Lawrence Mahaney.

The anticipated “Locals BBQ contest” on Friday had an interesting twist. Only one competitor bothered to sign up to compete. Moapa Valley resident Santana Ramos cooked up an impressive plate of BBQ ribs. They were truly “incomparable” as Ramos had no competition at all. He was awarded the first prize of $250.

The Festival also hosted a Classic Car Cruise-In on Saturday. Nearly 40 beautiful collector’s item cars showed up for it. The owner of each car, as well as two passengers, got into the festival for free that day to display their vehicle for festival-goers to enjoy.

This fifth annual Logandale Fall Festival offered a fun-filled and family-friendly weekend.