news story / By Bob Doran

Summer Festival Guide 2009

(May 28, 2009)  As they say in the song, “Summer’s here and the time is right — for dancing in the streets.” Well, it’s almost summer, anyway, and time to think about all those summer music festivals, where, locally, the dancing mostly takes place in parks and meadows.

The last couple of years a report on this seemingly light topic somehow involved legal issues and court cases, mostly the result of a hard-fought battle for the control of Humboldt’s biggest music fest, the one affectionately known as Reggae. Those issues were resolved relatively peacefully and we now have two Reggaes, but that does not end all fest-related controversy. The venerable North Country Fair is fighting a turf war with the city, then there’s the debate regarding the Redwood Run’s traditional “Wet T-Shirt Contest.” And no, not about whether it’s a sexist relic that should be dropped, it’s a “natural vs. customized” issue. And on that odd note, we bring you The Guide:

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The 33rd Annual Summer Arts and Music Festival. The Mateel Community Center kicks off festival season with two days of family fun, including 150 art/craft and food booths, a fine arts showcase, a kid zone and many, many musicians on multiple stages, among them Roy Rogers and The Delta Rhythm Kings, Rx of P-Funk, Freekbass, Yogoman Burning Band, Seneca, guitarist Peppino D’Agostino, Native Elements, Alice DiMicele, perpetual fest fave Scott Huckabay and many more. June 6 and 7, Benbow Lake Recreation Area south of Garberville. www.mateel.org 923-3368.

The 32nd Annual Redwood Run. The Kiwanis’ “ultimate biker party” returns with more modified motorcycles and more classic rock on the bluesy side, including George Thorogood and The Destroyers, Lita Ford, Corby Yates Band, Los Lonely Boys, an all-girl tribute to Aerosmith called Ladysmith and locals Blue Rhythm Review. June 12-14, Riverview Ranch, Piercy. www.redwoodrun.net 247-3424.

The 25th Annual Reggae on the River. The Mateel celebrates the Silver Anniversary of the festival downriver from the original site with a “return to its roots as a community event,” a one-day show with a roots-heavy lineup including The Mighty Diamonds, The Abyssinians, Tanya Stephens, Queen Omega, Nigerian star Majek Fashek, Cali band Soul Majestic andlocals Woven Roots,among others. Note: Camping nearby but not onsite, reserve early. Saturday, July 18, at Benbow Lake State Recreation Area. www.mateel.org.

The 31st Annual Humboldt Folklife Festival. The Humboldt Folklife Society’s week-plus music marathon is presented in conjunction with Dell’Arte’s Mad River Festival. It kicks off with a pair of dance nights:a Square Dance July 17 at the Arcata Vets’ Hall, then a Family Contra Dance July 18 at Freshwater Grange. Those are followed by the Annie and Mary Day Fiddle Festival, July 19 at Blue Lake’s Perigot Park, then weekday shows: Flying Fingers, July 20; ′60s-style folky Village Coffeehouse, July 21; and Acoustic Jazz, July 22, all in Dell’Arte’s Carlo Theatre, then Backyard Bluegrass and Beyond, July 23, out back behind Dell’Arte. A Friday night Swing Dance at the Arcata Vets’ Hall, July 24, is followed by the grand finale All Day Free Festival, Saturday, July 25, all around (and even inside) Dell’Arte’s Blue Lake facility. Any local folk and/or roots musician you know will be playing sometime during the festival. July 17-25, Blue Lake and beyond. www.humboldtfolklife.org.

The Third Annual Reggae Rising. The massive reggae fest on the Eel is back with another mix of roots and dancehall, including the return of Gentleman and the Far East Band, Luciano, Capleton, Lutan Fyah, Freddie McGregor, Marcia Griffiths, Tony Rebel, Brit reggae stars ASWAD and The Original Wailers with Al Anderson and Junior Marvin, among others. August 1-3 at Dimmick Ranch and French’s Camp, Piercy. www.reggaerising.com.

The Fifth Annual Organic Planet Festival. CATS is once again “celebrating a natural and non-toxic world” with eco-groovy fun by the Bay, including music by bluegrass vets The Del McCoury Band and reggae singer Tanya Stephens and a speech by Organic Gardening Magazine editor Mark McGrath. (More music TBA.) Sunday, August 30, Halvorson Park, Eureka. www.organicplanetfestival.org 445-5100.

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