Starkville has already seen its share of outdoor music and food this month, but not one to rest on its laurels, the city is getting yet another blow of live music and events with the Old Main Music Festival and Cotton District Arts Festival on Saturday.
The day-long event kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday with the arts festival, a combination of music and local artistic talent.
The musical aspect of the arts festival will consist of stages at The Grill, Page Avenue and University Drive. The list of musicians tops 14 participants with regional musicians including Bill Cooke, The Persians and Mayhem String Band performing.
The arts festival will present the works of local artists (last year saw 15 artists entering 39 pieces) and will be judged by Beverly Leesman. Leesman is a signature member of the National Association of Women Artists, American Artist Professional League, American Pen Women and the Northeast Watercolor Society.
The arts festival wraps up at about 5 p.m., with the Old Main Music Festival kicking off at 7 p.m.
The Old Main line-up, which showcases a heavy alt-country theme, includes Old Union and “Nashville Star” season one winner Buddy Jewell supporting the headlining Drive-By Truckers.
Old Union, which describes itself as “original coal-fired rock ‘n’ roll,” will kick off the evening.
SA director of external events Tyler Wolfe said the Music Makers group wanted to get a variety of artists that appeals to everyone.
“Not everyone wants to listen to loud rock ‘n’ roll music,” he said, referring to the Truckers and Old Union, “so we wanted to get somebody that people could relax to. People can jump around and have fun listening to Old Union and Drive-By Truckers, or they can sit in a chair and relax to Buddy Jewell.”
The Drive-By Truckers have sailed under the radar of the general public for years, but their gritty autobiographical tunes have impressed critics and back-alley fans more and more with each album.
“We really wanted an up-and-comer,” Wolfe said, “a mover and shaker within the music industry. Drive-By Truckers, who have been around for a while, are really starting to get big.”
The festival has had its fair share of shake-ups however.
Music Makers initially had country singer Billy Currington lined up, but he had to back out due to throat problems. The group was tasked with finding a last minute artist to shimmy the performance into their schedule (which is how Buddy Jewell came to join the lineup).
“We hate to lose Billy, but we think this will work out great,” Wolfe said. “It’s the nature of the business. These things happen.”
The set-up will remain similar to last year’s with some small changes. The roped off area, which generally faces east and starts at Mugshots Grill and Bar, will move forward one block to include other local businesses. This year’s Old Main will also see its biggest stage yet.
“We spent a little extra money this year to have a hydraulic semi-trailer that converts to a stage,” Wolfe said. “It cost a bit more, but it cuts down setup time and the cost of man-power by half, so it’s worth it.”
Even though the two festivals are separate entities, they work together to ensure each other’s success.
“The city really helps us out with the Super Bulldog Weekend and Bulldog Bash events,” Wolfe said. “So while we technically aren’t part of the Cotton District Arts Festival, we do what we can to help them out with publicity.”
Kittye Delle Robbins-Herring, Starkville Area Arts Council news editor, echoes Wolfe’s sentiments.
“Even though we are an element of the city, we have a lot of student involvement,” she said. “There’s a lot of reciprocation between groups.”
With the events stretching from Bulldog Deli all the way to Mugshots, it’s only natural that local businesses get a boost in business.
Julie Gillis, operations manager for Hotel Chester and Big Daddy’s Bar and Grill, said they expect a bigger night than most.
“This year, since they’ve moved the stage forward, we expect even more business than usual,” she said. “Our hotel is already booked solid and we’ll probably be doing a promotion with Miller. We expect a huge increase in business.”
Ty Thames, chef and part owner of Italian restaurant Bin612, expects the same boost from the Cotton District Arts Festival.
“There’s going to be a lot of people in the streets, and we’re right in the middle of it,” he said. “We bought a booth to support the city and we’ll be selling gourmet pizza slices and desserts as well.”
Admission for the arts festival is free, and admission to Old Main is $12 in advance and $18 at the door.