By KRISTI MAYFIELD
Art and music go together like a fine wine and during this upcoming weekend of June 6 through 8, they will really come together much like the Stanislaus River, flowing through Knights Ferry.
Friday through Sunday, the Knights Ferry Arts and Music Festival is celebrating its rebranding and the joining of art and music as they complement each other quite well indeed, noted organizers
“This festival is an explosion of musical and artistic expression,” said Taylar Mason, founder of the Knights Ferry Art Studio and Gallery and one of the founders of the festival. Mason, along with her friends and co-founders, Randy and Amanda Russell, were searching for a way to bring music back to the area along with the artistic authenticity that is indicative of many local artists in various mediums.
The Russells, musicians themselves, will be performing with their group, Randy Mandy and the Frequency Experience, on Sunday at The River’s Edge. With multiple stages including those at the 50’s Roadhouse, Rick’s Saloon, the Knights Ferry Art Studio and Gallery and the Knights Ferry Community Church featuring more than 30 musical acts, this festival will have something for everyone. Musicians scheduled to appear range from folk singer/songwriter Willy Tea Taylor, an Oakdale native, along with acts from all over the nation, including Possessed by Paul James out of Texas and Taylor Kingman out of Oregon.
Mason, along with her fellow visual artists, will be hosting three art shows featuring upcycled art as well as a sculpture garden sprouting recycled pieces. Bianca Lagos, a muralist from San Francisco will be leading a community mural for folks that want to connect and create with their fellow festival goers. For those that want to get their hands dirty and really experience the essence of the festival, there will be a tie-dye zone and a clay molding station with clay sourced from Knights Ferry.
“Our heart is in it and we really want to do this for our community,” Amanda Russell said as she elaborated on why she and Randy are so committed to making this festival happen. “When I was starting out, making music, playing venues, guys like Willy Tea Taylor and Chris Doud opened doors for artists like me and we wanted to bring that back.”
Festival goers can purchase single day or multiple day passes that include camping with prices ranging from $65. to $140. Multiple food vendors will be onsite as well in addition to various booths featuring unique items from artists far and wide.
“We want to be a bridge between the different disciplines and the different artists and our sponsorships allow us to do that so we’re very grateful to all of our sponsors,” said Mason.
Russell and Mason are no strangers to the hard work and dedication that a festival and movement of this magnitude takes, with Russell and friends assembling some of the scaffolding for the stages and Mason designing the art for the shirts and posters. Both Mason and Russell are eager to share their love of various art forms and said that, “this is twice as big as what we’ve done before,” noting the multiple venues and the abundance of featured artists.
For more information about the Knights Ferry Art and Music Festival and/or sponsorship opportunities, visit: https://www.kfamfestival.com/ or call the Knights Ferry Art Studio and Gallery at 209-247-7643.
