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September 7, 2008

Rockin' out at the festival

Rock bend folk festival attracts all ages year after year

By Brian Ojanpa

ST PETER — Although John and Marilyn Gilfillan were newcomers to the Rock Bend Folk Festival in St. Peter over the weekend, they became smitten by it last September.

Enroute to their home in St. James, the couple had chanced upon the festival last year and decided to check it out, even though the two-day event was in its waning moments.

“I said, ‘We’re coming here next year,’ and we put it on our calendar,” John Gilfillan said as the couple sat at a picnic table taking in this year’s festival.

The 18-year-old Rock Bend fest seems to have that effect on people. Which is to say, you can’t attend just one.

Susan Eckhoff, formerly of St. Peter and now living in Golden Valley, has been attending for years. She and friends set up “camp” with chairs and coolers in front of the Minnesota Square Park pavilion stage.

Beyond the music, Eckhoff said an intergenerational communal spirit is what the festival is all about.

“Where else can you see a concert where you have babies up to 90-year-olds? It works,” she said.

“And the nice thing is that it’s really mellow. I’ve never seen a fight, you can bring in coolers and bottles, and it’s free.”

Festival committee member Kris Higginbotham said maintaining a free-admission policy is made possible through various grants, community donations, and volunteer labor.

“Each festival supports the next one,” Higginbotham said. “We have an incredibly low budget for music, and people will take a little less money” than they might for other concerts.

Rock Bend was the vision of Ross Gersten, a former Free Press reporter and music aficionado who envisioned an event where local musicians and artists could strut their stuff in a park setting amid families picnicking and children playing.

He gathered kindred-spirit friends to discuss the notion, and Rock Bend took off from there.

Higginbotham said it’s that laid-back, familial spirit that keeps attracting the emerging artists the festival wants to target.

In fact, the festival hadn’t had a cancellation until this year. Higginbotham said vocalist John Boutte begged off — but only because of hurricane concerns in his native New Orleans.

Meantime, Rock Bend’s mellow ethos continues to hold sway.

“We’ve only had to kick out one person in 18 years,” Higginbotham said. “And that was for hassling a singer.”

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