Three bluegrass bands will perform downtown when the 2023 Fridays on Forest events kick off on April 28.
Great Bend Alive, the downtown arm of Great Bend Economic Development (GBED), and the Lovegrass Music Festival Association (LMFA) announce their partnership for the upcoming Fridays on Forest kickoff event. It will take place on Forest Avenue, from Williams to Main Street, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. to open the entertainment district for the third season.
Ahead of their three-day music festival at Lake Wilson State Park in August, Lovegrass is three highly acclaimed bands, Gravel Yard from Arkansas, the Brook Blanche Band from Wichita, and Old Fangled from Lawrence, to the April 28 event.
“We are thrilled to partner up to bring the ‘Lovegrass Experience’ to the Great Bend community for our kickoff event!” said Sarah Arnberger, president of GBED. “Our organizations have the shared goal of wanting to see more fun events and shared cultural experiences within our communities. Fridays on Forest is a great opportunity for our community to come together to enjoy fantastic music, food and drinks. We are really excited to bring a new music genre to Fridays on Forest with the partnership with Lovegrass for our inaugural event.
“In addition to great music, attendees can also enjoy delicious food from Lumpy’s, Los Dos Potrillo’s, Brand 17 BBQ, and The Spread, in addition to our alcohol vendors, Los Dos Potrillo’s, Lumpy’s, Charlie’s Place, and Dry Lake Brewing.”
Arnberger said Great Bend Alive is looking forward to another great season of Fridays on Forest with a few new additions and many amenities Great Bend has gotten used to having in the entertainment district.
Fridays on Forest events will continue on the last Friday of each month through October.
Sponsors and volunteers wanted
Many sponsorships and partnerships are already in place but any business or organization that would like to get involved is invited to reach out to GBED staff by calling 620-796-2407 or emailing marketing@gbedinc.com.
A couple of other new partnerships include Identifications Co. and Volunteers in Action. Identifications will have an online store open soon for the purchase of Great Bend Alive merchandise. Volunteers in Action is allowing GBED to utilize its platform to source volunteers for events.
Fridays on Forest is always needing gatekeepers. Specifically, 12 volunteers are needed for each event. These one-hour shifts cover the three entrances to the entertainment district. Sign up at: https://volunteersinaction.galaxydigital.com, and become a fan of Great Bend Economic Development to stay up to date on projects/events. Another way to stay informed is to follow Great Bend Economic Development and Great Bend Alive on social media.
About Great Bend Alive
Great Bend Alive has been designated as a Kansas Main Street Program by the Kansas Department of Commerce. Great Bend Alive, the downtown development arm of Great Bend Economic Development, has a focus on historic preservation, events/promotion, development/economic vitality, and design/streetscape.
For more information online, visit www.gbedinc.com/gbalive or follow Great Bend Alive on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
About GBED (Great Bend Economic Development)
The Great Bend Economic Development, Inc. is a public/private partnership focusing on the economic development efforts in Barton County. Our mission is to improve the economic quality of life for working families in our community. We do this by creating jobs, through retention, recruitment and expansion of businesses, strengthening the workforce through recruitment, education and training, improving and increasing the number of living wage jobs, and expanding the tax base through increase capital investment.
For more information about GBED visit: www.gbedinc.com, call 620-796-2407. Sara Arnberger, President of Great Bend Economic Development, Inc., can be reached via email at director@gbedinc.com.
About LMFA (Lovegrass Music Festival Association)
The LMFA, a Kansas 501C-3 charitable organization, was founded in 2017 by fellow central Kansas residents who shared a desire to bring the bluegrass arts to their community. With that, an annual three-day bluegrass music festival was born at Lake Wilson State Park. August 10th-12, marks the 6th annual Lovegrass Music Festival. Each year the event has grown, with 1,200 attendees expected in 2023.
For more information about the Lovegrass Music Festival Association and the 2023 festival, visit www.lovegrassmusicfestival.comor @LovegrassMusicFestival on Facebook. Aimee Riegel, President of Lovegrass Music Festival Association, can be reached via email at admin@lovegrassmusicfestival.com
