ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

September is right around the corner, which means it is nearly time for the annual High Plains Music Festival.

This year’s High Plains Music Festival will be Saturday, Sept. 12 at Dirtona Raceway just outside Hugoton, with the gates opening at 5:30 p.m. and the music starting at 6 p.m. This year's music lineup will include Cole Barnhill and Sterling Elza as co-headliners and Fox N' Vead as the opening act. Charities that will benefit from this year's event include Project Hope, Peace House Ministries, the Rolla Fire Department, Southwest Miracles, Hands Of Hope, Panhandle Partners, the Stevens County Fire Department, Love From Above, Hugoton After Prom, Boy Scouts Troop 189, and the Dust Bowl Riders. Coordinator Alisha Owens said there is a lot of excitement about this year’s fun.

“Like every year, we love making this a community event, and there are a lot of people who look forward to it every year, and it's a great way to work with some of the great charities in the area,” Owens said. “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. 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 make sure to get good acts people will want to come and see. We had to cancel last year's event because of lightning that came through the area, so it was a real bummer to do that, and we want this show to make up for that.”

Owens said she hopes this year’s show makes up for last year’s canceled event.

“We felt absolutely terrible about having to cancel, last year was the first time we'd had to do so. We'd spent so much time and work making everything ready to go, and we hated how that was decision that had to be made,” Owens said. “And it wasn't actually us who made that decision, that came from local officials and people associated with the bands because they knew it wouldn't be safe or possible to operate their sound and lighting equipment during the type of weather that was coming through, and that equipment is NOT inexpensive. When we heard that from the bands and the local officials, we knew that decision was coming, but it was still a bummer and we hated that was what happened. We're hoping we put together a great show and lineup that everyone will enjoy. We want people to come out and see these great artists, and we put a lot of work into making sure everyone will have a great time. We've had some artists who have brought in particularly big crowds, and we want to keep up bringing in that quality of acts. I'm hoping we have a lot of people come out this year and enjoy everyone on the bill.”

As much fun as the concert itself promises to be, that will not be the only thing going on that 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, 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 kites 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 – families can come out earlier in the day and check out everything at the Fall Fling and then spend the evening listening to some great music from some great artists.”

Overall, Owens said, she hopes the entire day is good for everyone who comes out.

“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,” Owens said. “I'm also hoping Mother Nature cooperates with us and we have good and calm weather that night. 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. 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!”