You're inviting thousands of friends to your backyard for one of the biggest free bluegrass festivals in the country. How do you pull that off?
Red, White and Bluegrass organizer Gary Leonhardt said it gets easier as the years go by. "We've made mistakes in the past, nothing major, but we've learned and tweaked along the way."
Now in its fifth year Leonhardt, director of the Morganton Parks and Recreation Department, knows the most important thing is volunteers. Rec staff and maintenance crews also help as do players from the Morganton Aggies team.
Leonhardt said the festival keeps growing, and he's looking toward the future. Next year's sixth annual Red White and Bluegrass Festival will be held at Catawba Meadows Park.
"It just makes sense to move there next year. There's more parking and more room," he said.
Another big change coming is that the festival will no longer be free, but Leonhardt is quick to point out that it will still be a bargain compared to other area festivals and a boon to the local economy.
"It can only be a good thing for area restaurants and hotels. People are buying gas here, eating here and staying here. They're spending money here," Leonhardt said.
One area business man likes the huge crowds. Chuck Campbell of Connelly Springs, owns Hawaiian Ice Treats. He's a vendor at the festival and has been coming for the last four years. As the numbers swell, that just means more thirsty bluegrass fans. "It's a good crowd, and we do really good here." He's expecting the biggest crowd ever this year.
Another behind-the-scenes player is expecting a lot of festival goers as well. Maj. Billy Bradshaw with the Morganton Department of Public Safety said they're not expecting any problems but will be a presence at the festival. "We'll have about three to five officers on scene throughout the festival. More if needed."
And since the heat and sun can be brilliant this time of year, the city also will have an ambulance on stand-by and a first-aid station with EMS on the grounds. They'll also be at the fireworks show on Friday at the Rec Center with fire trucks on hand.
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