By ALIN HETT
Hays Post
What started as a small jam session between friends at Wilson Lake has turned into one of western Kansas’ growing music traditions.
The Lovegrass Music Festival returns to Wilson State Park Aug. 6 through 8, bringing bluegrass music, workshops, camping and family activities to central Kansas for a ninth-straight year.
Festival organizer Aimee Riegel said the idea for Lovegrass first began after she and her husband moved to Hays from Lawrence in 2013. After years of attending the longtime Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Riegel said they noticed western Kansas did not have many events centered around bluegrass music.
“Lawrence had such a diverse music community, and we wanted to maybe participate and bring something like that here," Riegel said.
The couple frequently visited Wilson Lake during the summers before deciding to organize a small gathering in 2017. Riegel said the original plan was simple: invite friends to camp, play music and spend time together at the lake.
“We booked this group campsite in 2017 out at the state park at Wilson and invited a handful of friends,” Riegel said. “We were just going to kind of jam together and play music.”
That small gathering quickly grew after organizers decided to make the event public through Facebook. Riegel said bands soon began reaching out asking if they could perform.
“It was just going to be a little jam event,” Riegel said. “We actually had one band come and play that year (2017).”
Around 150 people attended the first festival in 2017. Riegel created T-shirts that first year as the Lovegrass name officially began to take shape.
After the 2018 festival, Riegel transitioned Lovegrass into a nonprofit organization to help secure funding and expand the event further. Riegel said attendance now regularly reaches more than 1,000 people each year.
While the festival remains rooted in bluegrass music, Riegel said the festival intentionally seeks a wide range of sounds within the genre. Traditional bluegrass often features acoustic instruments such as banjos, mandolins, fiddles, upright basses and acoustic guitars played together in jam-style settings.
“A lot of people maybe do not really know what bluegrass music is,” Riegel said, “or they think maybe it is not something they would be interested in listening to.”
Riegel described LoveGrass as offering a more progressive approach to the genre by blending traditional Appalachian influences with newer styles and sounds.
“We look for bands that have some of that flair but also bring something new and different,” Riegel said.
This year’s lineup reflects that variety.
Thursday night features the festival’s Stockyard Showcase, where up-and-coming artists perform short 15-minute sets. The showcase is followed by local Hays group 80 Proof Alice, which Riegel said serves as Thursday’s headliner.
Friday night’s featured performer is Johnny Mullenax from Tulsa. Riegel described his style as blending bluegrass influences with electric guitar, drums and keyboards while still maintaining roots in traditional bluegrass songwriting.
Saturday’s headliner is East Nash Grass from Nashville, Tennessee, bringing a more traditional bluegrass sound to close out the weekend.
Additional bands from Kansas, Nebraska, Washington, D.C., Indiana and Kansas City are also scheduled to perform throughout the three-day festival for a total of more than 10 bands performing.
Beyond performances, many artists will also host workshops during the weekend. Riegel said visitors can participate in activities ranging from fiddling workshops to yoga sessions earlier in the day.
“Our schedule is absolutely packed full of workshops,” Riegel said.
One of the festival’s biggest strengths, according to Riegel, is the atmosphere created by the smaller size of the event.
“We do not have much more than 1,000 people at our festival, so everyone gets to have kind of a really small experience,” Riegel said.
Artists often spend time walking through the grounds interacting with attendees, while families participate in children’s activities throughout the weekend. Riegel said the event relies heavily on volunteers, with almost 100 people helping operate the festival through rotating shifts.
“The people who volunteer always say that they really feel connected and just really welcomed,” Riegel said. “We really hope people leave feeling like they are part of something bigger.”
The setting at Wilson State Park also plays a role in the festival experience.
Last year, strong winds forced organizers to move some performances from the main stage to a smaller secondary stage near the beach. Riegel said the move unexpectedly created one of the festival’s most memorable moments.
“There is a little cove there and it almost looks like a natural amphitheater,” Riegel said. “You can see the sun setting over the lake from there, and it is absolutely amazing.”
Organizers were so impressed by the atmosphere that Thursday night’s performances this year will intentionally take place near the beach stage.
“I am really excited about Thursday night,” Riegel said. “That is just kind of a really beautiful place to take in some live music.”
The festival remains donation-based as part of the nonprofit mission. Riegel suggests a $50 donation for all three days, though attendees may contribute more, less or simply register without donating. Riegel said registration numbers help organizers track attendance and secure future grant funding.
“We get people from all over,” Riegel said. “Kansas City, Arkansas, you name it.”
Camping remains available on-site for $75 covering all three nights, though Riegel says camping spots are beginning to fill. Additional lodging options including hotels, Airbnbs and nearby campgrounds are listed on the festival website.
For Riegel, the goal remains the same as the original gathering nearly a decade ago: creating a welcoming community built around music and connection.
“It is just kind of a family feel and a community vibe,” Riegel said. “A really great vibe to be part of the Lovegrass family.”
For more information about the Lovegrass Music Festival, click here.