Rick Springfield to headline Festival of the River in Arlington
Published 1:30 am Thursday, August 9, 2018
It’s hard not to get excited about this weekend’s Festival of the River from the music lineup alone.
Its two full days of music include rising country stars Maddie & Tae. Their song, “Friends Don’t,” was recently featured in Rolling Stone, which called it a “confessional power ballad” about two friends who may be more than friends, trying to figure out where things stand.
They’re scheduled to perform as Saturday’s headliners, at 6 p.m., wrapping up a day of music that also includes Buffy Sainte Marie, a Cree singer-songwriter whose hit songs include “You Got To Run.”
Sunday’s headliner, also performing at 6 p.m., is Rick Springfield, whose album “The Snake King” was released earlier this year.
Springfield’s appearance is part of an ongoing jammed tour that this month alone includes stops in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Clearwater, Florida and Atlanta.
His first album was released in 1972. His hits include “Love Somebody,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “I’ve Done Everything For You” and “Jessie’s Girl.”
Well known singer-guitarist Alejandro Escovedo, who was profiled on NPR last month, will open for Springfield at 4 p.m.
A second performance area, called the Trout Stage, also will have live music both days, starting at 11:30 a.m.
Some 14,000 people are expected to attend the event, now in its 29th year.
Festival director Pat Stevenson said he hopes that those coming to the event see it as more than a concert venue.
The event’s purpose remains true to its founding, to educate the local community on how their actions at work and at home can affect the environment, he said.
Up to 30 educational booths will be set up to provide information, including what federal, state and local government agencies are doing to protect the environment, he said.
Kids will be given a passport, where they go to each booth and answer environmental questions to get a stamp. If they fill up the passport, they get a prize.
The event is organized by the Stillaguamish Tribe. “We also want to expose the community to the tribe’s history and culture,” such as what it does to help the community, Stevenson said.
All weekend activities are open to the community, including the pow wows scheduled to begin with grand entrances on 1:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
All tribal dancers and drummers will form a line and come into the arena with flags and cultural regalia.
Several types of dances, including grass and hoop dances, will be performed by dancers of all ages.
In recent years, tribal members from Oregon, Idaho and Canada have come to dance, in addition to members of local tribes, Stevenson said.
A logging show is scheduled at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
If you go
What: The Festival of the River
When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 11 and 12.
Where: River Meadows County Park, 20416 Jordan Road, Arlington
Tickets: Free, with $10 parking fee before 1 p.m. or $20 per car after
More: 360-631-5865 or www.festivaloftheriver.com
Festival of the River
The Stillaguamish Tribe’s festival features live music, pow wows, a fun run, storytelling tent, circus and logging show. Here is the main stage performance schedule:
Saturday
11 a.m. Peter Ali & Swil Kanim
12:30 p.m. Low Down Drifters
2 p.m. JP Falcon Grady Band
4 p.m. Buffy Sainte Marie
6 p.m. Maddie & Tae
Sunday
11 a.m. Peter Ali & Swil Kanim
12:30 p.m. Skablins
2 p.m. Soulful 7
4 p.m. Alejandro Escovedo
6 p.m. Rick Springfield
