Blues festival returns, with help from city, sponsors

A familiar mingling of music and barbecue smoke will waft through downtown Columbia when the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival returns on Oct. 1.
Now in its fourth year, the festival will continue its tradition of celebrating community, diversity and harmony by bringing musicians and cooks from around the state and will spice up the two-day festival with bands from as far away as Britain and barbecue teams from across the country.
As the opening date nears, festival producer Thumper Entertainment has been working out the final details, including procuring funding from the city. At its Aug. 2 meeting, the City Council approved a partnership agreement.
Thumper will pay the city a flat fee of $20,000 by Oct. 29. (This amount is in addition to the $10,600 Thumper will pay the city for trash and recycling services.)
In turn, the city will provide parking for the event and front $12,500 from the tourism development fund, derived from hotel tax revenue, that will cover prize money for the barbecue contest and 10K/half marathon. Thumper will also provide security, identification checks, emergency medical resources, fencing, signage and valet parking.

The agreement between Thumper and the city is just one piece of the festival’s support. Boone County National Bank has been the naming rights sponsor since its inception, and additional sponsors come in from three levels, according to Thumper Entertainment President Betsy Farris. There are the national/international sponsors such as Gibson Guitar, Pepsi and The 2011 Ford Explorer; regional sponsors such as State Farm and Shelter Insurance; and those on the local level such as Robinson Orthodontics and the Holder, Susan and Slusher law firm.
“We like working with the local companies,” Farris said. “It’s a great opportunity for them to tie into the festival. When fans come out to the festival, they’re relaxed and engaged. They have made a conscious decision to attend. It’s a great opportunity to engage the consumers in a very memorable way, one in which they’re sure to remember your brand.”
Sponsorship dynamics have grown since last year, Farris said, as more people become interested in the festival and all that it has to offer. “We want to continue to work with the folks that have been with us since the get-go, and we’re adding new sponsors and creating new experiences for our fans.”

And this year’s festival promises plenty of opportunities for such experiences. The Roots N Blues 2010 artist lineup features headliners Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, a husband-wife duo that blends blues, R&B and Southern rock.
“You can tell they have great chemistry on stage,” said Kimberly Foster, PR coordinator for the festival. “The crowd can see that, and it makes for a really fun show.”
The lineup also includes a strong mix of established artists and up-and-comers, such as 13-time Grammy winner and bluegrass artist Dan Tyminski and 23-year-old Joanne Shaw Taylor, a blues player from Britain. Local groups such as The Bel Airs round out the lineup.
Organizers are conservatively expecting a 20 percent increase in festival attendance this year, Farris said. The festival drew about 50,000 people in the paid area in 2009, the first year of ticketing. In addition, thousands of people watched free concerts at Flat Branch Park. And that kind of turnout translates to big money for Columbia and the state. Two years ago, the Roots N Blues fest made an estimated $11.8 million economic impact on the city of Columbia and an $18.3 million economic impact on the state of Missouri, Farris said.
“It’s a wonderful thing for the city,” Farris said. “It’s all about bringing people together with music and shining a spotlight on downtown Columbia.”

Setup and ticket costs for the festival will be the same as last year, Foster said, with a few new additions. The winner of the first State Farm King of the Roots contest, BJ Allen and Blue Voodoo, a group out of Kirksville, will perform on the festival’s main stage. Runners-up from the regional talent competition will get to perform at the half marathon, now in its second year, which is expected to bring in 2,000 to 2,500 runners, Farris said.
Ultimately, though, it all comes down to the music. “It’s all about discovery,” Farris said. “Discovering artists, finding and listening to the best artists you’ve never heard of. That’s the beauty of it and why people come back year after year.”