Bands Announced for State of Art and Music Festival, June 9

BROKEN BOW--Get ready for the 2018 State of Art and Music Festival--featuring the Good Living Tour! The fourth annual Hear Nebraska Good Living Tour is coming to Broken Bow June 8-9 and will be known as the State of Art and Music Festival. Music and other festivities celebrating art, music, and local talent in Nebraska will take place June 8 and 9. Deb McCaslin with the  Custer Economic Development Corporation (CEDC)  said events will take place at the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway AKA the “Red Barn” on Friday the 8, then in the city square on June 9. "We're excited--our goal is to just really showcase Custer County as a great place to live, work, and for this weekend, to play," McCaslin said. A Saturday evening concert will take place in the city square on South D and South 9th Streets. The Nebraska bands have been announced and include Oatmeal 97 (psychedelic rock), Matt Cox (Americana), See Through Dresses (Indie Rock), and Big Wade and the Black Swan Theory (Funk/Jazz/Blues). Bands begin at 6 p.m. and will play until approximately 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 9. "I love the fact we're going to have four bands with four different genres and styles. When we say that it's a different genre and style, we're really not kidding here! Even those with the most eclectic of tastes, and I put myself right in that category, I think there's going to be something that you'll enjoy," McCaslin said. Friday morning activities include a history of quilting event and paper quilt making for kids, thanks to the Custer County Last Stitch Quilt Guild. Sip and stroke painting activities, craft shows, food courts, rope making, children't author Leah Peterson, Nebraska Writer's Guild, Cowboy Poet RP Smith, Just for Kix dancers, and more will be taking place at the barn on Friday. A pie and ice cream social will take place at the Custer County Historical Society Museum Friday evening followed by "A Taste of Nebraska" wine tasting event at the Bonfire Grill. The Lied Center is hosting educational classes--open to everyone--on Saturday morning at the Broken Bow Library. Classes include Music and Journalism (10 a.m.), Visual Story Telling (11:15 a.m.), and Build a Band (12:30 p.m.). To sign up in advance for a class, email Deb McCaslin at [email protected] or call 308-870-2909 or Rick Maas at [email protected] or call 308-870-0165. Downtown events include crafts sales, food court, sidewalk chalk art contest, skateboard class and demonstration, Nebraska Writer's Guild, Just for Kix dancers, and more. The Tiffany Theater will be showing the movie Ocean of Grass --life on a Nebraska Sandhills Ranch on both Saturday and Sunday. The film focuses on the life and operation of the McGinn Ranch in Anselmo, Nebraska. Other art demonstrations and classes will also be available throughout the weekend. The Chamber of Commerce and Custer Economic Development Corporation and community partners are seeking vendors of all kinds for the State of the Art & Music Festival Broken Bow - featuring the Good Living Tour! If interested please call the BB Chamber at 308-872-5691. “The weekend will be focused on the fine arts. And so to me, that’s dance and music and speech and movement and maybe some sort of classic fine film-because that’s fine art too, just all sorts of things going on. Just very, very excited about this,” McCaslin said. McCaslin said the tour also brings a mobile skateboard park to town and encourages individuals and families to save the date for this June. McCaslin told KCNI/KBBN that bringing the tour to town is expensive and therefore wanted to thank Custer County Tourism and the Custer County Foundation for their contributions. Contact Deb McCaslin at [email protected], call 308-870-2909 or contact Rick Maas at [email protected], call 308-870-0165. You can also contact the CEDC or Chamber for more information.