By Mary Turner and Sydney Turner

Hello neighbors! My name is Sydney Turner. My mom, Mary, and I are happy to begin writing The Knights Ferry News for The Oakdale Leader! I was born and raised in Knights Ferry and have such a love for our little town. My mom and I both love writing so we are excited for this opportunity. We can’t wait to see where this experience takes us.

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The Third Annual Knights Ferry Art and Music Festival was last weekend, June 6-8. Showcasing over 30 musical artists from all over the country, along with four food vendors and six arts & crafts vendors. This year was their biggest turn out so far with over 350 attendees of all ages. Along with local darlings, Randy Mandy & The Frequency Experience, musicians like the legendary Sandy Rogers, Possessed by Paul James from Texas, The Pine Box Boys from San Francisco and Soda Gardocki from Chicago travelled to Knights Ferry to entertain the masses. Amanda Russell, one of the festival’s organizers, issued a special message “Thank you to all of the Knights Ferry community and the part you played in facilitating, enjoying or appreciating the festival. This is a town, family run event that could not happen without neighbors, volunteers, parents and grace.”

Knights Ferry’s own Rita Taylor played a set on Friday on one of the seven stages. Rita’s musical roots run deep as both of her parents are talented singer/songwriters. At 13 she started writing music on both the piano and guitar. At 15 she played her first live set and now at 17 has amassed a repertoire of over 20 songs. Her melodic, acoustic style is reminiscent of artists like Cat Power and Mazzy Star. Rita sings of life and love in a way that is haunting and wise beyond her years. “I like to write songs that are different and like no one has ever heard before,” she says of her style.

This summer she embarks on a mini-tour with her dad, Will Taylor, a local favorite. Their first stop is at The Grove House in Mariposa on June 12. From there they’ll travel to the Wooly Star Fest in Markleeville, CA then on to Wildwood Music Festival on June 20-21 in Willamina, Oregon.

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Upcoming June events:

School board meeting: June 12 at 5:30pm

Water board meeting: June 18 at 7:00pm

Oddfellows Potluck Social: June 26 at 6:00pm

MAC Committee meeting June 26 at 7:00pm

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Do you have any exciting Knights Ferry local news or upcoming events to share? Contact Mary and Sydney Turner at knightsferrynews@gmail.com