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A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF GROOVEFEST
GROOVEFEST began in 1993 in Oregon as a two-week nightly musical anniversary celebration for Groovacious, a record store owned and operated by Tim and Lisa Cretsinger. The Cretsingers moved their store Cedar City in 2000, and since the first festival in 2001, Groovefest has grown to become the only all-music event of it’s kind in Southern Utah boasting a record 20,000+ attendees last year! In Cedar City, the Cretsingers made friends with many who had a similar vision of what a full-scale music festival could be. Several of these early collaborators are still part of the Groovefest Team; dedicated volunteers that make Groovefest possible. Groovefest also wouldn’t exist without financial supporters as well. Because of them, Groovefest is one of the only events of it’s kind that is entirely free for people of all ages. Each year, the Groovefest committee has added something new. In 2003 the festival was moved from a parking lot to the Cedar City Main Street Park and Arts and Crafts and Food vendors were added. 2004 brought a second stage dedicated to local singer/songwriters (Cedar City boasts plenty!). In 2005 a guitar, harmonica and fiddle workshop; in 2006 more workshops, plus The Groovefest Gospel Hour on Sunday and Groovefest After Hours each night. In 2007 the Pre-Groove show was added on Thursday night, now making Groovefest a four-day event. Groovefest is a unique arts experience for Cedar City. Unlike many of the other festivals in town, the Groovefest concerts are free, with nominal fees for the workshops (see the 2008 Workshops page). The festival is staffed by community volunteers and financially supported by local businesses, which makes this a true community effort and a wonderful experience for everyone, young and old alike. Groovefest coordinators are always looking for volunteers. Contact us if you’re interested.
To see who’s appeared at Groovefest in the past , make sure to check out the Alumni and Photos page. |
