Who Do You Run Into at the Green River Festival? Everyone!

This is an exciting week in the Valley, because the best musical event of the year happens on Saturday and Sunday. You may already have your tickets to the two-day Green River Festival, if not, I highly recommend you put this community extravaganza on your calendar.

The festival began 25 years ago. Today I heard Jim Olsen, one of the festival’s organizers, relate a story on the radio about volunteers pulling Roomful of Blue’s bus out of the mud during a sudden thunderstorm. Rain of course is the enemy of any event involving thousands of people sitting outside to hear music; he recalled how they got giant tents and saved the day. The forecast is for clear skies and another beautiful event this year.

The list of musicians who have played the GRF include Dr. John in 1991, grammy champ Alison Krauss in 1994, and the ever exciting Michael Franti and Spearhead in 2009. Last year Cake was an exciting addition, but of course, the GRF is much more than the main stage. I enjoyed some great tunes by David Wax Museum in the smaller tent too.

It’s not just the music–it’s all of the people who will assemble that make this such a great affair. It’s like the Valley’s version of Old Home Week, with tasty food and the excitement of great music and fun. Don’t miss it!