summer fun / By Bob Doran

Summer Festival Guide 2011

Humboldt and beyond

(May 19, 2011)  It’s that time again. Summer’s here — almost, anyway — and the time is right for dancing in the street, in a meadow or perhaps along the riverside at a music festival.

Some of your options in the coming months:

Seun Anikulapo Kuti PHOTO BY BENOÎT DERRIER

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The 35th Annual Summer Arts and Music Festival. While the future of the park at Benbow might seem uncertain, projected state park closures are not until next year and the Mateel’s huge SoHum party will go on as planned. Four stages boast 60-plus acts amid art, craft and food booths, a kid’s zone, dancers and beautiful people everywhere.Headliners include Lyrics Born, ReBirth Brass Band, Skampida, LoCura, The Brothers Comatose, Alice DiMicele Band, Afromassive, The Real Nasty and returning fest faves Yogoman Burning Band and Scott Huckabay. June 4 and 5, Benbow Lake Recreation Area, south of Garberville. www.mateel.org 923-3368

The 34th Annual Redwood Run. The Kiwanis have taken back the “original” biker bash and moved it to Cooks Valley on the Bowman Ranch (next to Dimmick Ranch). As always the music is blues and hard rock, including Tommy Castro, Kaye Bohler, Ronnie Montrose, L.A. Guns, biker rockers The Fryed Brothers, and locals such as Kent Stephenson Band, Jimi Jeff and The Uptown Kings. June 10-12, Cooks Valley, Piercy. www.kiwanisrwr.com

The 3rd Annual Mad River Summerfest. The free festival on the Mad returns once again with homebrew, sporty stuff, arts and crafts, fun for the kids and mucho music, all local. For starters: Ishi Dube, Moo-Got-2, The Miracle Show, Kulica, Speakeasy Saints and Sierra Rose Band. Saturday, July 9, Pump Station No. 1 on West End Rd. outside of Arcata. eruptionproductionz.com

The 27th Annual Reggae on the River. With the fall of Reggae Rising, the Mateel’s bash at Benbow is the place to be for reggae fans. The musical mix includes sets by Ky-Mani Marley, Seun Anikulapo KutiandEgypt 80, Gramps Morgan, Tony Rebel, Queen Ifrica, Army, HR, The Alliez, Jade Steel, Jah Sun and Ishi Dube. July 16 and 17, Benbow Lake State Recreation Area. www.mateel.org 923-3368

The 34th Annual Humboldt Folklife Festival. The Folklife folks offer another full week of music, mostly folk, almost exclusively local, concluding Dell’Arte’s Mad River Festival. Starts Sunday, July 17, with Blue Lake’s Annie and Mary Day Fiddle Festival in Perigot Park including (nonlocal) stringers Real Vocal String Quartet. July 18 is Women’s Songwriter Night in Dell’Arte’s Carlo Theatre with Morgan Cordivay and Lyndsey Battle among others. Redwood Jazz Alliance helps with Jazz Night July 19, including Gregg Moore’s SquarPeg and Miles Ahead, again in the Carlo. The action moves out back to Rooney Amphitheatre July 20 for Country Night with The Country Pretenders, Cadillac Ranch and Huck Flint gone electric. July 21 is Backyard Bluegrass and Beyondwith The Compost Mountain Boys, Clean Livin’ and more bluegrass, again in theRooney. Striped Pig String Band plays for Friday night’s Barn Dance at Arcata Vet’s Hall July 22. Closing day is Saturday, July 23, an all-day free festival with scores of local folkies etc. taking over Dell’Arte and vicinity.July 17-23, Blue Lake and beyond. www.humboldtfolklife.org.

The 2nd Annual Jefferson State Old Time Revue. Missing Link returns with their alt. old time/roots fest, unfortunately on the same day as Folklife’s free festival, although this one runs later. Among the acts, Pokey LaFarge, Lana Rebel, The Dust Busters, The Brothers Comatose, The No Good Redwood Ramblers and Striped Pig String Band. July 23, Arcata Playhouse. 826-0590.

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