By Janet Wight
The Lakeside Guitar Festival will be held in Como Park on Aug. 8 and 9, with the family-friendly event boasting 15 feature acts along with a vendor village, a silent auction, a strum along/sing a song and meet-and-greets with the artists.
Food and beverages will be available at the Dock & Paddle restaurant located inside the Como Lakeside Pavilion, 1360 Lexington Parkway N.
This year’s featured artists include singer-songwriter Mason Jennings, guitarist Hemma and composer-guitarist Ehekatl Arizmendi (from Guerrero, Mexico).
The festival will offer performances on four stages. The main stage is the picturesque promenade behind the pavilion. The café stage will be located inside the pavilion in Dock & Paddle. The waterfall stage, which serves as the experimental/collaboration venue, will be set up at the Hamm Memorial Waterfall across from the pavilion. The floating stage will be located on one of the swan boats on Como Lake.
The festival, organized by Todd Clouser and Molly Maher, was established in Mears Park beginning in 2013. At that time it was known as the Lowertown Guitar Festival. It moved to Como Park in 2018.
“Como Park is the perfect spot for this event, as the promenade is one of the most beautiful stages in the state,” Maher said. “Sit right up front, or bring a blanket and sit by the lake taking it all in.”
One purpose of the festival is to bring attention to the nonprofit foundation Music Mission. It “began in 2015 to support underserved communities in creating and sharing their unique music,” Maher explained.
Grants from the St. Paul Cultural STAR and Metro Regional Arts Council, as well as significant donations from area businesses, fund the festival and allow it to continue as a free public event, Maher said. “We have devoted volunteers and a great production team who really help pull it all off.”
Spreading the word is the main challenge of running this event. Advertising is done mostly through social media posts and by placing posters in the windows of local businesses. Most festivals have marketing departments, but the Lakeside Guitar Festival relies on Clouser and Maher to handle marketing and everything else.
“If it needs doing, one of us just does it!” Maher explained.
Maher said she enjoys many aspects of the festival. She relishes working on it year round as she builds the lineup for the next year. She also takes pride in seeing the reactions of the attendees as they appreciate the music.
Experiencing the connection between the artists and audience is rewarding. “I love bringing in new voices and witnessing them winning over audiences,” Maher said.
The strum along/sing a song is another highlight. Attendees are invited to bring their guitars, banjos, mandolins or even air guitars and join in. At this year’s festival the Kith + Kin Chorus will be leading the group.
“I think we need more singing and strumming together,” she reflected.
In 2023, singer-guitarist-songwriter Keb’ Mo’ drew a capacity crowd of 1,200 people.
This year’s goal is for the festival to draw a least two thousand people over its two-day span. It will also be streamed so that guitar enthusiasts in other locations can enjoy the programming.
There will be a performance of “Minnesota’s Last Waltz,” a tribute to the Scorsese film “The Last Waltz,” at 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 9. Tickets are available for $35 at brownpapertickets.com/event/6675406.
Maher said she would like anyone interested to give the festival a try. “We invite you to discover the guitar. Maybe see it differently, or just continue to adore it.”
For additional information visit musicmissionmusic.com.
Janet Wight is a regular freelance writer for the Bugle.
