ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Those looking for some good music and an evening out will soon have just that opportunity in Hugoton.
This year’s High Plains Music Fest will be Saturday, Sept. 13 at Dirtona Raceway just outside Hugoton, with the gates opening at 5:30 p.m. and the music lasting from 6 p.m. to midnight. This year's music lineup will include Hayden Graber, Gannon Fremin & CCREV, Sterling Elza, and the headliner will be Kolby Cooper. The charities that will be benefitted from this year's proceeds are Project Hope, Peace House Ministries, the Rolla Fire Department, Southwest Miracles, Hands of Hope, Panhandle Partners, the Stevens County Fire Department, Love From Above (which is part of Pheasant Heaven Charities), Hugoton After Prom, Boy Scouts Troop 198, and the Dust Bowl Riders.
Coordinator Alisha Owens said every festival is exciting to plan.
“Every year, I'm most excited about the artists we're able to get, that's what I always look forward to. Every year, when we release the lineup, we have so many people who follow our social media pages express their excitement and tell us what their favorite songs are, etc., and that's always great to see,” Owens said. “We always reach out to the community on social media and ask who they would want to see perform, and we take suggestions from anyone and everyone. We then have to take into consideration who we can actually get, and then it's a matter of dates and travel and those other logistical details. We never really have anything in stone as far as 'We HAVE to have this or that,' but we always want to stay with the Red Dirt Country and/or classic rock or Southern Rock, so we look for musicians we think would fit that and would be well received in this area. It's all about supplying the community with an event that provides great entertainment.”
In fact, Owens said, planning for this year’s festival started shortly after last year’s wrapped up.
“Our planning for the next year usually starts right after the concert is done. When this concert's done, we'll start discussions for 2026 in October or November as far as what we want to do,” Owens said. “At some point in the near future, we'll put the question out on our social media asking the community who they would like to see perform, and we'll take all of that feedback into consideration. Then, we'll officially start booking everyone early next year.”
Last year’s High Plains Music Fest was Owens’ first in terms of coordination, and she said she and the rest of the board felt everything turned out very well.
“I want to emphasize I am NOT the only one in charge, we have a great board that does so much great work to make this event happen every year. The board has 11 people, and we all work so, so hard to pull everything together and get everything done, whether it's contacting sponsors and confirming all the logistical details or doing actual physical labor putting the stage and everything else up,” Owens said. “Last year's turnout was down slightly, but we were overall pretty happy with how everything ended up, because the music was great and the weather ended up being amazing for everyone. This event is all about giving people in the area something to do, and we feel like we accomplish that pretty well every year. We have a bunch of locals come and enjoy the music, and we also pull in quite a few people from out of town and even out of state, so this event is definitely quite the draw.”
And the concert will not be the only draw of the day, Owens said.
“The Hugoton Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its annual Fall Fling, which will feature several vendors for crafts and food and some other stuff, and anyone interested in participating in that is more than welcome to get in touch with them at (620) 544-4305, and they'll get you signed up,” Owens said. “The Great American Kite Company will again be on hand with their giant kites, and that's an awesome family event because the children are always amazed at the giant kits and even get to fly some of the smaller kites that are brought, and they've been a hit every year we've brought them in. It's going to be a day filled with fun and games and music and everything else in between.”
Owens added she hopes to see big turnout for this year.
“I would definitely encourage everyone to listen to some of the groups' music if they want an idea of what they'll be in for that night, and I feel like no one will leave disappointed. I'm particularly excited about Hayden Graber, he's from Ulysses and is already doing some great things in the music world,” Owens said. “It's a great lineup, and the community seems to be really, really excited about everyone who'll be performing. All of the groups fit into the vibe we want to have with this event, and I have a feeling everyone will have a great time. I always get really excited when it's officially 'Go Time' and we get to watch everyone stream in, from the younger children to their parents and/or grandparents, because everyone's sitting and talking and enjoying the music. I'm also hoping Mother Nature cooperates with us and we have good and calm weather that night.”
Tickets are currently on sale at https://highplainsmusicfest.us/, and they are also on sale at Yardmaster Garden & Gifts and Flatlanders Farm & Home in Hugoton, The Crazy House in Liberal, The Crazy House in Garden City, and Pub on the Bricks in Guymon, Okla. Overall, Owens said, it should be a great day.
“There's going to be a lot going on, and you definitely won't miss any of the music that evening. You can have fun and walk around all the fall fling vendors and watch the giant kites, and then make your way across the road to Dirtona Raceway and take in some great music that evening,” Owens said. “I'm looking forward to everyone coming out here and having a good time, a lot of people have been looking forward to this since last year. Overall, it should be a really great time and I hope a lot of people are able to come out and enjoy everything we'll have!”
