Palouse Music Festival a success

PALOUSE - The Palouse Arts Council brought the Hayton-Greene Park alive on Saturday, July 29th, with the Palouse Music Festival, a celebration of local musicians and diverse musical styles.

From traditional Irish melodies to the beats of African marimbas, and from rock 'n' roll to a plethora of other genres, attendees were treated to a musical journey from the comfort of their lawn chairs.

The festival began at 11:00 a.m. and wrapped up at 7:00 p.m., drawing an impressive turnout, as confirmed by Palouse Arts Council Secretary and festival co-chair, Dona Abderhalden.

This year's attendance notably surpassed previous editions, noted Abderhalden, leaving organizers thrilled with the event's overall success.

The festival's opening act, Potatohead, ushered in attendees to the tune of a traditional Irish bodhran drum and fiddle.

After just over an hour of jaunty Celtic tunes, the colorfully clad women of Sesitshaya took the stage, assembling a range of marimbas that each produced their own unique sound.

Performing songs from a variety of African locales, Sesitshaya's acts each came with a backstory: one was to honor the bones of a Zimbabwean revolutionary, another simply to praise the existence of frogs.

All the while, thirteen vendors encircled the park, vending everything from hamburgers to political promises.

Abderhalden says she took pride in the successful execution of the festival and acknowledged the hard work and dedication of the entire team involved in its planning and organization.

"There's a lot of work that goes into it ahead of time, a lot of people work really hard and it shows," said Abderhalden, "I want to extend a great big thank you to everyone who was involved."

The event stood as a testament to the vibrant musical talent and the strong sense of community in the Palouse area.

With the triumph of this year's event, the Palouse Arts Council will begin planning for next year's festival as early as February of next year said Abderhalden.

Author Bio

Reid Thompson is an intern reporter at the Whitman County Gazette. Reid is enrolled at Syracuse University, where he studies journalism and international relations.

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