Each Labor Day weekend for the past 26 years (excluding two COVID years), Richland has hosted the Tumbleweed Music Festival at Howard Amon Park. The weather in early September is most often beautiful and the perfect time for this open-air festival. This year the dates for the festival events will be September 1-3. This is a free music extravaganza that is sponsored by the Three Rivers Folklife Society. All types of music and dance are welcome, but the preponderance of what visitors will hear come from the genres of folk, blues, and bluegrass.
This year’s festival theme is “Good Times”. There is a tradition of submitting original songwriting to the “Jane Titland Memorial Songwriting Contest”. The songs submitted must complement the theme of “Good Times”. It’s too late to sign up to perform the original music, but songwriters can submit their work at tumbleweedfest.com.
The festival will have workshops and performances on each of the four outdoor and two indoor (Richland Community Center) stages at Howard Amon Park. The website listed above has a link to applications for those that would like to participate as performers, songwriters, craft vendors, food vendors, or for next year’s logo making contest. Applications are to be submitted to [email protected].
The three headliner acts this year are the Paula Boggs Band from Seattle, Sofia Talvik, performing folk with Swedish roots, and Wes Wendell who offers music and stories of the Northwest. All other performers are non-paid and simply want to share their talents with those who enjoy authentic, acoustical music.
This festival runs entirely by volunteer efforts, which keeps the community’s enjoyment of the event free for all. There are only two events that require a ticket…the Saturday benefit concert and the Sunday evening Contra Dance. Because it is a 501c, sponsors are always needed. The website has a link to sponsorship forms as well as forms to offer homestays for those wanting to come to the Tri-Cities to either perform or just enjoy the music, but prefer the friendships developed by staying with a family who will also be enjoying the festival. All other workshops, dance, and performances are free to watch. Seating in front of the stages is by lawn chair, so bring your own comfortable chair to sit in under the shade of the beautiful trees of Richland’s Howard Amon Park.
While enjoying the area and the music, kids can burn off energy in the play area, climb on the climbing wall, or if it’s still open, enjoy the wading pool. There’s a path along the beautiful river for walking, and a new brewhouse just above the park’s parking lot, Moonshot Brewery. Additionally, the deck will be open at the Dugout, also just above the park.
Enjoying the end of summer in Howard Amon Park, complete with original folk music from our local artists, is brought to Richland by the Tumbleweed Music Festival. Enjoy!
