The 12th annual Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival is happening at Stephens Lake Park in Columbia this weekend.
Richard King is the president of Thumper Productions, the group that puts on the festival. Each year after the festival he looks for ways to improve the event, and he says the new director, Tracy Lane, is bringing a new energy to the festival.
“You know we’re really excited about music. We think that that is the focus of our festival, and we spared no expense this year,” King said. “I think we’ve got some great talents coming into Columbia for 3 days.”
Tracy Lane accepted the festival director position three months ago. She says the festival is expanding sustainability efforts by composting in VIP booths and doubling the amount of recycling bins at this year’s festival.
Lane says inclusivity is also important to the festival planners.
“It’s really important to all of us here that we care for the park but that we also create a welcoming space for everybody in our community,” she said.
Lane also started the Missouri Roots Songbook initiative this year to recognize musicians from Missouri who made a cultural impact. This year’s honoree is Chuck Berry.
“Throughout the history of recorded music, there are significant musicians from the state of Missouri who have made an impact on culture world wide, and I want the young people in our state to really take pride in that,” Lane said.
Lane has been an arts administrator in Columbia since 1990, and she says the community support for the arts makes Columbia stand out.
“The success of all of the programs in this community is because of the real community spirit that exists in Columbia and the collaboration between arts organizations, local retailers and vendors, and obviously the people themselves,” she said.
Last year, Roots N Blues introduced RFID chips in the wristbands to make transactions with vendors easier. King said the RFID chips are being used again this year because they reduce line times.
The Roots N Blues N BBQ festival kicks off this Friday afternoon with acts like The Avett Brothers, Sturgill Simpson and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. Lane said tickets are still available.