The Reflector
The Old Main Music Festival will become a reality tomorrow after months of planning and preparation.
The Mississippi State Student Association, in connection with the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, is the driving force behind the music on Main Street. The event was proposed and approved last December.
“We decided we were going to ask the Convention and Visitors Bureau for money for a big show,” said Josh Blades, who was president of the SA at the time of the proposal.
Blades said the SA proposed the idea, along with a $50,000 budget, to the Board of Aldermen.
“They called us back two weeks later and said we had the money,” Blades said.
The $50,000 that was fronted by the Convention and Visitors Bureau is part of a permanent fund for the Student Association. Blades said the SA added $3,000 or $4,000, but all of the money given by the bureau will be replaced with money generated through the $10 admission price.
“Basically, we’re paying the CVB back so we’ll have that money in our fund for next year,” Blades said.
The money is used to bring in nationally renowned musical acts Moe and Nickel Creek, and lesser-known artist Richard Johnston.
Travis Wolfe, co-director of external events for the SA, said he was under contract to withhold the specific cost of each act.
“They were a pretty penny,” Wolfe said. “Let’s just put it that way.”
Arma de la Cruz, vice president of tourism for the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, said the Convention and Visitors Bureau was happy to work with the SA on this project.
“We’re excited to partner with the Student Association to put on an event of this caliber,” de la Cruz said. “Having acts like Nickel Creek and Moe will put Starkville on the national map and will have a large impact on tourism.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the SA so that, hopefully, we can make this an annual event,” she added.
Wolfe said a couple of the restaurants downtown would have outside food vendors set up to provide quick food options for those attending the festival.
“I think Old Venice and the Courthouse Grill (Old Main Grocery) will be serving food Saturday night,” Wolfe said. “The Courthouse Grill (Old Main Grocery) is doing crawfish for sure, and Old Venice will probably have some mini pizzas or something like that.”
“This way people don’t have to go into a restaurant and miss any music if they want something to eat,” Wolfe said. “All of the restaurants on Main Street have been really supportive of the festival.”
Money raised by the restaurants will profit them directly and will not be included in replenishing the SA fund, Blades added.
Wolfe and Blades also addressed the possibility of rain. Wolfe said the show would continue regardless of bad weather.
“As of this moment, the forecast says there is a 10 percent chance of rain day and night on Saturday,” Wolfe said. “We’re hoping and praying that it doesn’t rain, but if it looks really bad on Friday morning, we’ll make a call and move everything to the Hump.”
“We’ve been checking the weather every 10 minutes,” Blades added.
Blades said a decision was made to rename the festival after the Old Main district in Starkville and to connect it to the legacy of the Old Main dormitory that stood on campus.
“That terminology is indicative of what this is about and that’s a partnership,” Blades said. “This festival is the pinnacle of the relationship between this university and the city of Starkville.”
The Old Main Festival will begin at 7 p.m. with a performance by Richard Johnston. Nickel Creek and Moe will follow at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., respectively. Gates open at 6 p.m.