2023 Spring Occasional

Walnut Valley Occasional

Spring 2023

The Barefoot Movement
Haymakers
Becky Buller Band
John McCutcheon
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

First, how about Sean McCue’s poster design for our 51st Festival, with a biplane and wing walking pickers? Any volunteers for the enactment of this year’s poster in the skies above Winfield? We loved this whimsical idea from the first time we saw it, and hope you do too.

While last year’s 50th Anniversary featured many artists who were an important part of WVF’s history, the 2023 lineup is notable for the large number of artists who are completely new to Winfield. Becky Buller, the first woman to win the IBMA award for Fiddle Player of the Year, will make her first appearance at WVF. Darin and Brooke Aldridge, along with their band, are here for the first time on their own. Darin is a former IBMA Mentor of the Year and a truly gifted singer and multi-instrumentalist. Brooke is no less talented, and a four-time winner of IBMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year.

Colorado-based Chain Station, known for winning over crowds with creative and fun original songs steeped in Americana roots, will mark its first appearance on the official stages. As will The Barefoot Movement, an alt-bluegrass trio from the mountains of North Carolina, known for their memorable melodies and lush harmonies. And Pixie & The Partygrass Boys, a five-member, high-energy band, will bring the party from the deserts (and mountains) of Utah.

Dynamic hammer dulcimer musician Tina Bergmann will appear with bassist Bryan Thomas. Sadie Gustafson-Zook, vocalist and songwriter of folk music with a jazz influence, is also here for the first time. And if you enjoy hot picking, do not miss new artists Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, bursting with talent both as vocalists and skilled musicians. Other new bands include the Haymakers, a Wichita-based Americana string band, and the Celtic band RUNA, which combines traditional music of Ireland and Scotland with modern folk and jazz.

We are pleased to welcome back Appalachian Road Show, Roz Brown & Jim Ratts, The Cowboy Way, Damn Tall Buildings, the Green Flamingos, Les Gustafson-Zook, Shane Hennessy, JigJam, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Andy May, Tim May & Steve Smith, John McCutcheon, Barry Patton, Pretend Friend, Mark Sganga, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Stephen Seifert, The Steel Wheels, Linda Tilton, and Weda Skirts.

Let me also share with you some new things we are rolling out this year. We will again have online preregistration for Land Rush AND you can now pay for WVF and City of Winfield fees in one payment. You will find the same to be true when you get on grounds. BUT we will no longer take payment by personal check on grounds. For Lineup, we intend to build in times between rows arriving, so that there will not be as much congestion in paying at Barn IV.

We seem to have more complaints each year about golf carts on grounds, and with the large crowd last year we saw some serious accidents. Beginning this year, golf carts will incur the same fee as an extra vehicle pass–$12 per day. We understand this is unwelcome news for many, but we also want to address the increasingly crowded roads and camping areas. Only authorized ATVs/UTVs will be allowed in the campgrounds.

This year we welcome River Rat Print & Skate to grounds, a Lawrence-based crew who will be here with official WVF t-shirt and apparel designs. River Rat intends to do some pre-orders as well, so look for those announcements on social media.

In an effort to reduce tensions between sitters and standers, in 2023 there will be a Stage I area at the front of Pickers’ Pub which will be designated for standing only. Please, please, treat each other with the kindness and respect we all expect at Winfield.

Speaking of kindness and respect for one another, help us to reduce waste and make the festival as sustainable as we can make it. This digital occasional is one step we are taking to reduce the amount of paper we use. We are teaming up with the City of Winfield this year and other organizations to bring in some large water stations around grounds.  We plan on working with Nudge Compost, in a pilot project to reduce food waste in the midway.  Look for announcements of other initiatives on social media, including a Sunday Clean Camp picture drop for WVF Swag and prizes.

Finally, for several years we have found it impossible to staff the overnight shifts at the main gate and reentry. Without enough workers, staff find it exhausting to work those shifts. So, this year the Ticket Trailer and Reentry will no longer operate overnight. Aside from Land Rush, both will be open only from 8am-11pm (up to festival) and 7am-11pm (during festival), although East and West 14th gates will provide access for attendees returning to grounds. Newly arriving campers must make sure to bear this in mind in planning their arrival in Winfield, as they will be unable to purchase tickets or procure camping between the hours of 11pm and 8am.

WVF 51 will have more than 200 hours of music at 4 official stages. We’ll have 8 instrument championships, a Songwriters Showcase, Andy May’s Acoustic Kids, Feisty’s Music Camp for Kids, Wednesday Workshops, a juried Arts and Crafts fair, the Ozark Music Shoppe online show, and some great food vendors. We look forward to welcoming you back to Winfield.

Bart Redford
Executive Director

Tina Bergmann & Bryan Thomas
Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
Damn Tall Buildings
RUNA
The Cowboy Way

Entertainers

The 2023 Walnut Valley Festival line up has a multitude of music to offer, from hard core bluegrass to progressive jamgrass to traditional folk music and more, you will find a lot to like. Ten new acts will be taking the stages along with some favorites.  Be sure to catch all the different music available.  The days of appearance are below, so take a look, check out their bios and their music and set your schedules to catch all the bands while you are at WVF.

Preliminary Stage Schedules Are Available!

The Preliminary Stage Schedules are available for review and for planning your festival.  Please note that while we will follow this schedule closely, there will be updates before the festival.  Please check the page for any updates that might happen before the festival begins.

2023 NATIONAL FLAT PICKING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The luthiers have  gone above and beyond to provide extremely nice intruments for the winners of our eight regional, national and international championships. Our immense gratitude goes to each and every luthier, their families and their employees for their continued support of the National Flat Picking Championships hosted by the Walnut Valley Festival and promoted throughout the world.  It is because of these luthiers, WVF has been able to give over $2.85 million in instruments and prizes over the past 51 years.  Please support these luthiers by purchasing your next instrument or any accessories from them.

INTERNATIONAL AUTOHARP CHAMPIONSHIP

Schreiber Autoharps – Custom Diatonic Autoharp
Millerstown, PA     717-418-2775     www.schreiberautoharps.com

Whippoorwill Acoustics – Luthier’s Choice Custom Diatonic Autoharp
Paw Paw, MI     260-249-5561     www.whippoorwillacoustics.com

Walnut Valley Association – $600 Cash
Winfield, KS     620-221-3250     www.wvfest.com 
   

INTERNATIONAL FINGER STYLE GUITAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Bourgeois Guitars – Custom  Finger Style Guitar
Lewiston, ME          207-786-0385          www.bourgeoisguitars.com

Huss & Dalton Guitar Company – Winfield Custom Finger Style Guitar
Staunton, VA          540-887-2313          www.hussanddalton.com

Taylor Guitars – 814ce Guitar 
El Cajon, CA          619-258-1207          www.taylorguitars.com

To Register
for one or more contests, 
Click on This Link:

OR

Call
620-221-3250
to register with a
credit card

NATIONAL MOUNTAIN DULCIMER CHAMPIONSHIP

The Dulcimer Shoppe / McSpadden Mountain Dulcimers

4FHKKOA-E Custom Koa, Ebony Fretboard and Pickup

6FHWWB-E – 6-String Baritone with Ebony Fretboard

4SGCC-E – Scroll Head Cherry Ginger with Ebony Fretboard

Mountain View, AR          870-269-4313          www.mcspaddendulcimers.com

NATIONAL MANDOLIN CHAMPIONSHIP

Walnut Valley Festival – TBD
Winfield, KS        620-221-3250          www.wvfest.com

Walnut Valley Festival – Second Place $1,500 Cash
Winfield, KS        620-221-3250          www.wvfest.com

Walnut Valley Festival – Third Place $750 Cash
Winfield, KS        620-221-3250          www.wvfest.com

See the
2023 
Contest Rules
at

WALNUT VALLEY OLD TIME FIDDLE CHAMPIONSHIP

Beautiful Music Violin Shop

Gliga Vasile Master Fiddle, made in Reghin, Romania

Andrzei Glodek Flamed Mapel & Carpathian Spruce Fiddle, made in Nowy Targ, Poland

Glasser Carbon Composit 5-String Fiddle

Lawrence, KS          785-856-8755          www.beautifulmusicviolinshop.com 

NATIONAL FLAT PICK GUITAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Preston Thompson Guitars – D-MA Custom Guitar
Sisters, OR          541-588-6211          www.pktguitars.com

Collings Guitars Winfield Model Guitar
Austin, TX          512-288-7776          www.collingsguitars.com

C.F. Martin & Company – D-28 Modern Deluxe Dreadnought Guitar
Nazareth, PA          610-759-2837          www.martinguitar.com

Be sure to check out all of the 2023 Luthiers, Prizes, and instrument descriptions on our website to get a complete list of prizes.

NATIONAL HAMMER DULCIMER CHAMPIONSHIP

Rick Thum Hammer Dulcimers – 17/17 Professional Chromatic Hammer Dulcimer
Eureka, MO          314-406-0690          www.rthum.com

Songbird Dulcimers Finch Chromatic Pro Hammer Dulcimer
Muscatine, IA     563-571-5296          www.songbirdhd.com

Master Works, Inc. – Russell Cook Ultralight Chromatic Extended Range Hammer Dulcimer
Bennington, OK          580-847-2273          www.masterworksok.com

NATIONAL BLUEGRASS BANJO CHAMPIONSHIP

Deering Banjo Company – Deering Calico Banjo
Spring Valley, CA          800-845-7791          www.deeringbanjos.com

OME Banjos – Odyssey Bluegrass Banjo
Boulder, CO          303-449-0041          www.omebanjos.com

Deering Banjo Company – Deering White Lotus Banjo
Spring Valley, CA          800-845-7791          www.deeringbanjos.com

Camping

WE’VE HEARD YOU!

In response to the stress experienced by our website at launch in previous years, we will be transitioning our camping preregistration to the same ETIX system that we are using for festival tickets. Please note that this will result in additional service charges as with any other online ticketing agency. Also, to make the process smoother when you arrive for Lineup, your preregistration fees now include BOTH your WVF AND City of Winfield rough camping fees from August 26, 2023 thru September 16, 2023. You will also be able to pay both City of Winfield and WVF electric fees together on a single transaction when you arrive. This will allow campers to pay all of their fees with cash, credit or debit card, BUT CHECKS WILL NO LONGER BE ACCEPTED ON GROUNDS.

Clear and succinct information is on our website along with the link to preregister for camping.  Please read and follow all information carefully.

NewSong Showcase

Walnut Valley Festival's NewCase Showcase is curated by Chris Jones, of Chris Jones & The Night Drivers

The NewSong Showcase is a chance for aspiring songwriters to submit their work for review by a professional songwriter/artist, with a chance to appear on stage at one of two sets during the festival. It features ten categories, including Songs About Winfield, Children, Religion/Spirit, Feelin’ Blue, Instrumental, Sweet Memories, Love Songs, Better World, Humor and None of the Above. This year entries may be made entirely online, allowing participants to upload their song and accompanying lyrics.  Be sure to get all the details and register your song for the showcase at the link below.

Entertainer Spotlight

Becky Buller

Becky Buller is full of energy and a lot of mischief.  Watch the video to learn more about Becky and her great band.

 
Darin & Brook Aldridge

Darin and Brooke Aldridge have a long list of IBMA awards and have shared their music with audiences all over the world.  Watch this video and learn a little more about Darin and Brooke.

Thanks to the Acoustic Music Shop for permission to use these videos.

Acoustic Kids Showcases 2023

Andy May’s Acoustic Kids Showcases™ have been at the Walnut Valley Festival since 1991. The program encourages hundreds of talented young performers and has launched a few careers! It’s covered internationally in the press, studied as a model by other festivals, and is a Walnut Valley Festival tradition.

These are NON-Competitive Opportunities for young pickers and singers, beginner to pro, to perform on the festival stage for a welcoming and loyal audience. Details and Applications are due August 15 and can be found at the link.

Paulette Rush Arts and Crafts Show

The Paulette Rush Arts and Crafts Show is by far one of the best shows in this part of the country.  Crafters from all around the midwest and beyond are making their plans to show their wares at the Walnut Valley Festival in September.

The Paulette Rush Arts and Crafts Show is quickly filling up with some exciting additions. Many of your favorites will be here, as well as some returning for the first time in a few years. 

There are at least 10 first time vendors this year including two basket weavers, a polished stone and crystal vendor and a fired glass designer that is sure to amaze and excite your kids (and you as well).  Click on the link below to get an updated list of vendors.

2023 Champion Showcase Concert

2023 PreFestival Workshops

The 2023 Prefestival Workshops are going to be great!  Experienced instructors have all new materials for you to learn, take home, and practice.  Regardless of your skill level, there will be a class for you.  Click below to Register for a class before it fills up!

These are In-Person and Hands-On Workshops.  Please, bring your tuners and music stands, if needed.  Ask your instructor if it is ok with them before recording any session.

2023 Festival Workshop Instructors include Tina Bergmann, Amanda Grapes Dellinger, Les Gustafson-Zook, Jamie McKeogh, Daithi Melia, Jim Ratts, Stephen Seifert, Mark Sganga, Gavin Strappe, and Linda Tilton.

Tickets

The 51st Festival is just around the corner.  Advance Tickets are on sale now through 5pm Friday Sept 8th.  Order one for you and for a friend. Sharing the music is the best way to enjoy the festival!

Festival Merchandise

Shop for your favorite items to remember all the fun you had at festival!

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Office Hours

Monday-Friday

9am-Noon; 1pm to 5pm