By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
THREE RIVERS — Main Street was alive with the sound of music in downtown Three Rivers Sunday, as the city celebrated the 32nd HarmonyFest music festival.
Several musical artists, a dance crew, and more took to the stage Sunday in what was a celebration of music, community and life in general. It brought nearly 2,000 visitors to downtown Three Rivers, where the weather was not too hot, not too cold, and perfect for listening to a wide variety of genres.
“I thought turnout was pretty good and consistent all day,” organizer Charlie Wolgamood said. “It seemed like the vendors were busy, and people were up and down the street. We were pleased with the turnout. The weather was about the best we could do.”
The festival started at 1 p.m. with music by singer David Michael, followed by local bands Tornado Warning, Allison Downey and the Austins, The Quartet, the New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir, dance crew Trinity Prep Dance Center, the Kalamazoo Pipe Band, Chirp, and headliner act The Claudettes rounded out the night.
The festival also featured several product vendors, food options, and a kids’ zone located on Portage Avenue for the second straight year, which featured a magician, games, face painting, a viewing of police vehicles from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan State Police, and an art station where kids could paint their own canvases or contribute to a larger painting.
As with previous years, Wolgamood said he heard positive feedback about the festival from attendees, praising the artists that came in to perform.
“People liked the music, they liked the food trucks, obviously, and we got a few comments of, ‘Downtown looks pretty cool,’” Wolgamood said. “I talked to a lot of people, and people are stopping me and thanking me, and I ran into a couple of guys that have been there for a while, and they said it was cool.”
Some of the big highlights of the festival for attendees, Wolgamood said, were The Claudettes, Chirp, The Quartet, and David Michael. Some of the artists even stuck around after their set to buy food, shop around, and interact with the audience.
“I think they liked it around here, they were eating food, hitting up the vendors, we got them some pizzas, The Claudettes got here early and hung out, and then some of the other people were hanging around too, like Kevin Long, the magician, because he’s been there before and liked it. Chirp got there early and hung around all night,” Wolgamood said. “When you see artists hanging around, eating the food and stuff, it’s not like just getting in and getting out, I think that says a lot and is a nice compliment.”
The positive feeling was mutual from the performers themselves. David Michael, a singer from South Bend, Ind. that performed first on the day, said he was impressed by the crowd and their receptiveness.
“I appreciate the audience so much,” Michael said. “It was wonderful; I felt all the love from everybody, I felt the embrace of Three Rivers, Michigan.”
Jason Louiselle of Tornado Warning said he loved being at the festival. He also worked on a painting throughout the festival that was completed by the end of the evening.
“I feel honored that I could be part of it and part of this whole community,” Louiselle said. “It was a lot of fun; I could look out and see the busy street and tell that people were listening to the music. It was people having a good time, and great songs to be heard.”
Jay Frydenlund of Chirp said while his band was a late addition to the roster due to a cancellation, it was great to be able to fill in.
“We were impressed with everything today,” Fy “The sound was killer, great crowd, and couldn’t have lucked out better weather-wise. I thought the vibe was incredible; lots of great people, it was cool to watch people dancing and a nice mix of ages. Very wholesome energy for sure.”
Rachel Williams and Johnny Iguana of The Claudettes praised the festival and the audience as well to end off the night.
“It was really fun, a really good show, and everyone was super-nice and accommodating,” Williams said. “The crowd was great.”
“It was a beautiful, thankful night to be playing music outside,” Iguana said.
This year’s festival was also a tribute of sorts to former HarmonyFest Committee member Gay Warner, who passed away on Aug. 10. One of the intermission sections of the festival had a tribute to Warner read out by fellow committee member Karen Haye. It was followed by the song “Wildflower” by the band Skylark, which Wolgamood said was one of Warner’s favorite songs.
In all, Wolgamood said the festival went smooth, the afterparty featuring Faux Beamage was well attended, and that overall, it was a success. They even raised enough money to cover the festival’s costs.
“I thought we did a good job planning things, a good team effort,” Wolgamood said. “We were pleased with it, and we were happy.”
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
