Bluegrass at the Lake to return
Staff writer
Bluegrass at the Lake will return Friday and Saturday with cool temperatures and a new master of ceremonies, Tim Dingus.
Gates will open at 5 p.m. Friday. The first band will go on at 7 p.m., and both nights will last until about 11 p.m.
Bands performing Friday will be, in order, Queen Jack, Huffy and The Nighttrain, and MoonShroom.
The latter is a fairly big name in the bluegrass scene, boasting 6,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
“I’ve heard that a lot of people in town have listened to them,” lake superintendent Isaac Hett said.
On Saturday, gates will open at noon. A cornhole tournament is scheduled for 1 p.m., and a disc golf tournament at 3 p.m. Music will begin at 5 p.m.
The bands performing on Saturday will be, in order, Bad Chuck and The Bad Dreams, Sally and the Hurts, Grody Riggins, and Dead End Strings.
The stage will be downhill from the lake hall at the edge of the lake, near the lake’s swimming area.
“What takes the most time is setting up all the fencing and the gates,” Hett said. “Most of our stuff is all open to the public and we don’t block anything off, but for this festival, we do.”
The lake hall will be open throughout the weekend and blast air conditioning for those who need a break from the sun.
The building also will be host to a silent auction from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday.
Many food vendors will be at the festival, including Taco’s Food Truck, Coneburg Curbside, and Carlsons’ BBQ.
In previous years, the festival used local volunteers as emcees, but this year, the lake has hired Timothy Hill-Dingus, a juggler and magician from Overland Park who performs under the name Tim Dingus, to fill the role.
“He has a special act both nights,” Hett said. “He does fire juggling.”
Usually, the festival sells around 550 tickets. Hett expects even more to attend this year as temperatures are expected to stay below 80 degrees.
“Hopefully the rain stays away, but it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful weekend,” he said. “The last few years we’ve had it. It’s been around 105 degrees”
Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased at the gate.