riverbend festival 1982

The Riverbend Festival, also called Riverbend, is a well-known annual music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was started in June 1982 as a five-night festival. Riverbend Festival is a rain or shine event. Riverbend ignited civic pride, stimulated business and civic leaders to rethink downtown, and showcased the arts. In fact, it's not even a single line, but a series of separate lines that eventually merged into one. We are proud of our long-standing history in downtown Chattanooga. And the idea for having it take place primarily at Ross's Landing also came later. category_id: null, The barge that held the first. var field59 = field59 || {}; Later that summer I visited Salzburg Festival and was amazed at the range of all the arts and other activities and the enormous economic and cultural impact of these huge town festivals, which were our guiding examples for the early Riverbend festivals. If you're looking for a unique experience, you can take a water taxi or a boat to the park and enter the festival through a different gate. Various local and national companies sponsor different stages. Hold annual riverbend Festival and other events to promote economic development, community involvement & harmony in the chattanooga, tn areathe riverbend Festival that had been planned for the spring of 2020 was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Riverbend Festival was started in June 1982 as a five-night festival in Chattanooga. Music lovers enjoy performances from three stages set along the backdrop of the Tennessee River at Ross's Landing on Riverfront Parkway . All Ages. The official Riverbend history web page really should be more accurate in my opinion as it leaves out the visionary, hard working "heroes" of the early Riverbends. The organization celebrated that accomplishment this past weekend at the annual Riverbend Festival. All bags and belongings will be searched before entry. Affordable local shuttles will be ferrying guests to and from the venue on all the days of the festival. Over the years, the festival grew into the three nights of its current run and presently ranks in the top 10 percent of all American festivals. And also to get a very segregated city to mix in the process. A few other things are certain, as well. Over the years, the festival grew into the three nights of its current run and presently ranks in the top 10 percent of all American festivals. Music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States, International Festivals and Events Association. We live, work and play right here in the Tennessee Valley. [1] "It's complicated, of course, but I did live through it," he says in a recent email. "(Riverbend) succeeded by changing," Moore says. For more information on tickets and pricing, take a look at the official event website. Your email address will not be published. They will be followed by rock band Cage the Elephant who will headline Saturday night. element: "#evvnt-calendar-widget", Some of the first-year events were well-attended, drawing several thousand spectators, but some were not, drawing a few dozen. All rights reserved. It certainly does not match my memory as first FoF chairman or the actual records. After Riverbend began, other cities Southeastern like Birmingham (City Stages) and Atlanta (Music at Midtown) created their own downtown music festivals. We celebrate community and we tell your stories. Jun. The annual festival has evolved into three nights, and ranks in the top 10% of all American festivals. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. } The event will take place on June 3 through 5 at Ross's Landing in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn. There is little doubt that Hetzler, with financial help from the Lyndhurst Foundation, was the driving force behind the first Riverbend Festival, however. Each has their own memories and interpretations of the series of events that led to the creation of an event heading into its 33rd year. Stream: Riverbend Festival ( Free Trial) Watch Riverbend Festival! Music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States, International Festivals and Events Association, Pollstar Concert Listing for Chattanooga, TN, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Riverbend_Festival&oldid=1091791846, Tourist attractions in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Monday, June 9- The Bessie Smith Strut (blues/jazz along M.L. Much of this is in my 1990 Emory University dissertation on town festivals but the FoF management has not responded to these historical materials when offered. For safety reasons, no chairs will be allowed on site before the gates officially open. Before the inaugural Riverbend Festival in August of 1982, organizers booked three shows at Engel Stadium to raise money for the bigger festival. For Sid Hetzler, a former reporter, college professor and local business man, it's a pretty straight line from September 1980, when he visited Charleston, S.C., and attended the Spoleto Charleston Festival, until the first Riverbend. [2] The attendance for Riverbend has grown over the years and there are now regularly over 650,000 people that come over the course of the festival from all over Tennessee, the Southeast, the United States, and other countries. When the band threatened to leave town without playing, Rody Davenport, whose family owned all the Krystal restaurants in Chattanooga, "went to every Krystal in town and cleaned out every till of cash to pay them," Breland says with a laugh. evvnt_require("evvnt/discovery_plugin").init({ The festival went to wristbands last year, though it offered a collectible pin, as well. Riverbend started in 1982 at Rosss Landing at a time when most of the buildings were boarded up, and few had reason to come to the riverfront. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. 423-785-1200 | news@wdef.com3300 Broad Street, Chattanooga TN 37408. Ranked in the top 10% of all American festivals, Riverbend Festival draws in more and more attendees every year, with over 350,000 people attending last year alone. Security personnel will be present at the entrances and will also be present inside the park during the events. He would remember these sessions for about 30 interested citizens, which culminated with a BBQ, Beer, Bluejeans and Bach celebration (the essence of our original inclusive idea) at Sharon Mills' home to celebrate the beginning of a new kind of comprehensive festival for Chattanooga. For 39 years, the Riverbend Festival has been a cornerstone in the Chattanooga summer scene. Also in 1981, after Five Nights, Lyndhurst provided a $26,000 grant that allowed a group of leaders, including Hetzler and Mayor Pat Rose, to attend Spoleto and fund some research seminars in Chattanooga that explored the idea of establishing a local festival. Discover more about Riverbend Music Festival, including line-ups, dates and venue information. King Boulevard and Broad Street and -- as the name implies -- it was spread over five consecutive Tuesday nights. In the rare event of severe weather, you can look for direction from festival staff at that time. By the late fall, we enlisted retired UTC music professor Walker Breland, first operating board chairman and a lover of Charleston's festival, and GPS French teacher Lee Parham, vice-chairman, and others on that first very hard working board, who all deserve long overdue and full community recognition. Hetzler and Richard Brewer, who was partners with Storey in Variety Services, insist that an event called Five Nights in Chattanooga, which Variety produced in 1981 with a $150,000 grant from the Lyndhurst Foundation, had nothing to do with Riverbend. discovery: { Storey produced the Five Nights concerts directly for the Lyndhurst Foundation, which later pushed our new Friends of Festival board to hire him as a promoter based on that curious no-charge experiment in urban animation to see if blacks and whites could gather without violence. Many of the restaurants and bars have live music in the evenings, which you can enjoy with a refreshing cocktail. Headliners at the free concerts were B.B King, Bill Monroe, Don McLean, Sarah Vaughan and Hank Williams Jr. 11. Kicking off summer, Riverbend Festival draws thousands of attendees to enjoy a weekend of great music, food and other festival attractions. Riverbend started using admission pins in 1983 and they have become collectible for fans over the years. The Riverbend Festival. But there were other artistic events linked to the festival like an old time fiddlers convention, a brass trio launched in a hot air balloon and an arts festival at Miller Park. Our organizing group (Mickey Robbins, Nelson and Deanne Irvine, myself) wanted an artistic director involved very early, but the foundation wrote us after a June 1981 planning meeting that they would only support a promoter, not an artistic director who "could come later after the plans were made" (something like flying a plane with the pilot in the tail section I thought at the time). The more your referral link gets used, the more money youll start earning. RV parks and campsites in the area allow cooking, but you'll need to bring your own appliances and materials. Not all of the events from that first Riverbend were successes. Riverbend Festival, named for the bend in the Tennessee River by locals, began in June of 1982 as a five-night festival in Chattanooga to bring the community together. So the headliners for that first Riverbend were a diverse crowd. With the $26,000 Lyndhurst planning grant in May 1981, we had brought in three national festival experts for our festival seminars held at the Chamber of Commerce, concluded with a planning and goal-setting session led by new UTC drama professor Fred Beringer. OFFICIAL WEBSITE. A wide varietyof performers covering almost every music genreentertain the crowd on our three stages set along the backdrop of the Tennessee River at Rosss Landing, also known as the Scenic Citys front porch. The first ever Riverbend Festival took place in 1982 as a five-day event. The festival itself only had one proper stage, the barge in the river. Contrary to the official Riverbend history on their page, the 1981 Five Nights in Chattanooga had nothing to do with Riverbend except, in looking back, as a bad model, since the three ticketed summer acts in 1982 lost the fledgling festival about $100,000 under executive director Bruce Storey's leadership, based on comments from the first officers. 08-23-1982 Riverbend Festival Barge Christening - YouTube The barge that held the first Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga is christened. Popular Searches. You can get this by showing a valid ID at any of the beer or token locations. Her husband, Sam, however, was very helpful and active at our first summer 1981 planning seminars. Having begun as a small music festival in 1982, Riverbend has grown to become an internationally-recognized, nine-day event welcoming more than 650,000 fans. Hits 96 is proud to announce the return of Chattanooga's Original Music Festival Riverbend 2022!. Here are the details before we explore that question again. discovery: { | System Trade Analysis Tools. More archival material is at the Chattanooga Public Library, including early programs and publicity. We dreamed of festivals such as Salzburg that made the city a tourist destination six weeks every summerand a financial bonanza like a second Christmas shopping season for all merchants. One touching the leg decides it's a tree; one at the trunk thinks it's a snake, one at the ears thinks it's a fan. Find tickets online today using Songkick Although being unfortunately canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, event organizers have pushed through to ensure that this beloved occasion occurs . This years event marked the festivals 39th year of celebrating community togetherness. It has since evolved into three nights and is nationally known. Music is my favorite form of communication; no matter the age, race, language people can always relate with one another through music, said Spc. Back then, few visited the riverfront, home to boarded-up buildings. The Riverbend Festival, also called Riverbend, is a well-known annual music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was started in June 1982 as a five-night festival. So far the event has certainly lived up to the hype and you can watch all the action, no matter where you are, by following . Richard Brewer said he came to the first Riverbend Festival in 1982. The big names in 1987 were Chicago, The Spinners, The Judds, who actually opened for Reba McEntire on the Coca-Cola Stage, Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger together, and Willie Nelson. Today, Riverbend ranks in the top 10% of all music festivals, increases Chattanooga-Hamilton County tax collections by $800,000, and it provides over $20 million in economic impact. The Riverbend Festival, also called Riverbend, is a wellknown annual music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was started in June 1982 as a five night festival. Chefs and restaurateurs are using locally sourced produce to churn out some delicious food. Daniel Thompson/50th Public Affairs Detachment), U.S. Army Staff Sgt. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Chattanooga Times Free Press, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This photo is taken from the railroad trellis on MLK looking back toward the Chubb Life building. The Riverbend Festival showcases various genres of music such as country, urban, rock, and bluegrass. Mobile App|Weather App | WDEF Email Sign Up, Golden Apple Award: Dr. Lindy Blazek, OLPH, "Egg-flation" Causing Local Businesses Issues, Hamilton County Organizations Fight Foster Care Instability, What's Right With Our Schools: Get Future Ready. "We sailed up and down that river until 3:30 in the morning," he says. Several of the early organizers who still care wonder why the current Riverbend history page is not corrected to match the real history, which started with my/our efforts in 1980 to learn about town festivals, such as the new one in Charleston S.C., Spoleto USA. Boat and jet ski races on the Tennessee River were part of early Riverbend Festivals. Riverbend Music festival closes out a fantastic weekend along the banks of the Tennessee River. Festival wristbands also allow guests to have an associated card to simplify purchases. If you need assistance with anything, you can approach one of the volunteers. text: "Promote your event", It can get a bit chilly after sundown, so dress in layers or take a light jacket with you. Instead, it should focus on what was already here, Breland says. The now-familiar pins did not come into play until the next year. The new festival was a hit and has now lasted forty years and counting. [1] The festival was named for the bend in the Tennessee River on which Chattanooga was established. Paramore. After doing their research, the committee submitted a document to Lyndhurst titled "Proposal for Funding to Establish a Chattanooga Festival." element: "#evvnt-calendar-widget", Riverbend has announced its artist lineup for the 2022 iteration of the beloved music festival. Provides positive economic impact not only to Chattanooga but also to regional tourism. Riverbend Festival, named for the bend in the Tennessee River by locals, began . Crowds were so large for the concert, the fence was removed for safety reasons and the entire Riverbend site has been closed to vehicle traffic since. "We had chamber music and choral music and orchestral music," he says, "but we also had mountain music. After a dinner at my home in September 1980 for some friends and arts leaders to brainstorm the possibility of such a large festival for Chattanooga, I talked these examples up all the fall of 1980 and spring 1981, to the point that Allied Arts leaders warned me and Mickey Robbins not to continue to push this since it might "dilute" their fundraising efforts. Riverbend Festival is Chattanooga's longest running, award winning music festival celebrating 39 years as the Scenic City's premier event. I am wanting to come in from ATL and I don't. The food scene in Chattanooga has exploded in recent years. Daniel Thompson/50th Public Affairs Detachment), U. S. Army Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division band play music at the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, June 3, 2022. The Festival booked three pop acts to play pre-Riverbend events at Engel Stadium. Greenlee moved KADE and KBCO to a state-of-the-art studio complex at 4801 Riverbend Road in East Boulder and then sold the stations to Noble Broadcasting in 1987. In subsequent early years, the festival included boat/ski/jet ski races on the river during the day. It was a moment that gave him the inspiration to make Riverbend work in the long haul. Then the first Riverbend "at the water" was held the end of August at Ross's Landing with about 15,000 or so people attending during the week of this first one; the attendance numbers are not certain. You are home here. 2023 Riverbend, Friends of the Festival Ecom, Wristbands VIP MerchFAQ, Festival InformationParkingFestival MapThings to Do. "global": { (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Its been awhile since weve been able to perform in front of a live audience like this since the COVID-19 pandemic.. Storey also played a role in starting the Dorothy Patten Fine Arts Series, which showcases performing arts such as music, spoken word and theater. In a partnership with local audio retailer Listen Up, CDs and playback equipment were shipped in from Japan. The Riverbend Festival, also called Riverbend, is a well-known annual music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was started in June 1982 as a five-night festival. [3] Admission was previously given to people who had collectible Riverbend Pins. Thomas Savage (19152003) was one of the intermountain West's best novelists. See the Riverbend Festival 2023 lineup. Fireworks have traditionally closed the festival since the very beginning and continue to be a popular draw for fans. Chattanooga and the large music festival scene have changed quite a bit since the inaugural Riverbend Festival in 1982. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Well see you at the festival. It started as a way to come together downtown to celebrate the community we all share. When you see news happening, share it! Justin Smith, a guitarist assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division band, plays guitar at the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, June 3, 2022. Metered parking is available on most streets. Several groups in town were searching for ways to move the city forward both artistically and from a civic standpoint, he says, and, in many ways, Riverbend became that vehicle, providing an opportunity for diverging groups with equally divergent agendas to work together for the greater goal. Nashville's Summer Lights began the same year as Riverbend. We are proud of our long-standing history in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, United,. From Festival staff at that time railroad trellis on MLK looking back toward Chubb.: { ( U.S. Army photo by Spc diverse crowd on what was already here, Breland says other are. 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To and from the venue on all the days of the restaurants and bars live. Festival since the inaugural Riverbend Festival. Army staff Sgt have traditionally closed the Festival was named the. Gave him the inspiration to make Riverbend work in the Tennessee Valley again. Hit and has now lasted forty years and counting riverfront, home to boarded-up buildings the more your link. Can approach one of the events included boat/ski/jet ski races on the River the! ) succeeded by changing, '' he says leaders to rethink downtown, showcased... Leaders to rethink downtown riverbend festival 1982 and ranks in the Tennessee River this weekend...