Deep Roots releases event music lineup
Save the date on Oct. 22 for the return of downtown Milledgeville’s eighth annual Deep Roots Festival, an all-ages event that will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with live music playing until midnight.
Kendyl Wade | gcsunade.comDeep Roots highlights many attractions at the festival, one of the most popular being the car show, which showcases various vehicles—new and old.
“There’s something for everyone,” said Director of Milledgeville Main Street Carlee Schulte.
The Deep Roots Festival’s main attractions will include handcrafted arts and crafts from over 50 vendors, a barbecue cook-off awarding over $13,000 in cash and prizes, a car show, the KidZone for the little ones and live music from a variety of bands. Gates open at 10 a.m. and festival-goers will be charged $5 for a wristband until 6 p.m. After this time wristbands will cost $15.
In the past, Deep Roots has showcased musical talents like Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Perpetual Groove and The John Butler Trio.
Headlining the 2011 Deep Roots Festival is Athens-based band The Whigs. The lineup also includes Reptar, Cowboy Boyer & Talton, Davin McCoy & The Coming Attractions, Free Lance Ruckus and four-time Grammy nominees, Trout Fishing in America.
“I like the music part of the festival, but I really enjoy the atmosphere throughout the entire day. You can feel the energy all throughout Milledgeville. As soon as you wake up, you can tell it’s going to be a special day,” said junior environmental science major Colin Maldonado. “Last year we woke up and took a stroll downtown and you could tell there was a lot of joy in the air.”
Originally, The Deep Roots Festival started as a small festival called Fest-of-Ville, which was held on Front Campus. Not proving to be very successful, Fest-of-Ville changed its name to the Sweetwater Festival and relocated to central downtown. In 2009, the title Sweetwater Festival was retired and its third and current name became the Deep Roots Festival.
Deep Roots is a nonprofit festival that has always been a project of Milledgeville Main Street and would not be the same without its many volunteers. The proceeds from this festival go to the Façade Improvement Program through a 50/50 matching grant, which helps to revitalize downtown buildings.
Schulte says the organization of Deep Roots has been eye-opening and allows her to see the work that goes into planning an event of this size.
“It has been interesting to see the other side of things. You don’t think about the work that goes into Deep Roots until you work behind the scenes and we’re lucky to have a huge group of volunteers,” Schulte said. “It is impressive the time and effort these volunteers put into the festival.”
There are many local businesses and organizations that help to sponsor and promote the festival. One is local radio station Z97 (97.7 FM), which will be broadcasting live coverage throughout the event.
“I’m looking forward to the expansion of Deep Roots. With The Whigs headlining and Reptar playing, it will be interesting to see what kind of crowd the festival brings in this year,” said junior kinesiology and member of the Z97 Z-Crew Tori Maddox. “I have friends coming in from UGA and Georgia Southern.”
The 2010 Deep Roots Festival attracted a crowd of 15,000, which is five times the size of the first festival crowd of 3,000 in 2004. With an even bigger crowd expected for 2011, the growth of Deep Roots over the years has earned the festival the title of a true staple of Milledgeville.
“In 2010, Deep Roots Festival was the biggest event in Milledgeville,” Schulte said.
For more information about the festival, check out the Deep Roots Festival website: http://www.deeprootsfestival.com.
Posted by Katie LeVan
on Sep 22 2011. Filed under News.
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