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Music Trails listeners our guest is Seth Bate author of the newly released Augus,t 2022 book Winfield’s Walnut Valley Festival. The book explains how the festival was launched in 1972 when a guitar maker, farmer, and businessman teamed up together to built their own festival from ground up which has made the town of Winfield Kansas an annual destination for acoustic musicians and music lovers from around the world. Seth shares his story of how he came to Winfield, got involved in the festival as a college student, as well as what inspired him to chronicle the Walnut Valley Festival’s history as part of its 50 year anniversary. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mark-a-lafond/message
About the Author
Seth Bate, MA, PCC, moved to Winfield, Kansas, in 1989. He fell in love with a Kansas farm girl and a local music festival, and he stayed. His interest in local history was sparked by traveling Kansas for his work at the Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute. Seth’s writing has been recognized by the Kansas Association of Historians and appeared in the Kansas Leadership Center Journal. IG: @sethinkansas.
About the Book
The Walnut Valley Festival was launched in 1972 when a guitar maker, a farmer and a businessman built their own music festival from the ground up. It has made the small town of Winfield into an annual destination for acoustic musicians and music lovers from around the world, and it has always been participatory, with the informal campsite pickin’ as much a part of the event as the stage shows and instrumental contests. The Walnut Valley Festival has always been proud of its deep-rooted traditions, but most of all, it is a community celebration. Local historian Seth Bate tells the Walnut Valley story, with reflections from festival staff, emcees, performers, campers and characters from throughout its history.
