The 2nd annual Downtown Sioux Falls RiverFest is set for Saturday, August 16, 2014 along the river beneath Cherapa Place and all along the recently renovated riverfront. It promises to be an evening filled with great food, interesting vendors, fun for the kids, and fantastic local and regional musicians!

RiverFest will start at 4pm with music on two separate stages, vendors on both sides of the river and a fireworks display will close out the evening.

The music will begin on the main stage with Burlap Wolf King from 4:30-5:30pm

Burlap Wolf King
Burlap Wolf King
loading...

Burlap Wolf King, is the vessel of song for South Dakota singer/songwriter, Thomas Hentges. Hentges himself has described his work with BWK to be “a search for bare boned truth in song”.

New music is always being created and ideas are always coming and going. BWK continues to shape a sound consistent to what Hentges hears in his head and new songs are beginning to take shape. Look for a new full length album to arrive in 2014.

Over the years Burlap Wolf King has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with the likes of the Hold Steady, Trampled by Turtles, William Elliot Whitmore, "Spider" John Koerner, Deadstring Brothers, the Pines, Charlie Parr, Mason Jennings, Whitey Morgan & the 78s, the Moondoggies, Red Wanting Blue and many more.

 

West River talent from Jami Lynn & Dylan James, who appeared on the 2013 Rock Garden Tour’s High, Wide & Handsome TV Special and The White Wall Sessions. They will perform from 6:00-7:15pm

jami lynn and dylan james
Jami Lynn and Dylan James
loading...

Black Hills duo Jami Lynn & Dylan James met on the street in the summer of 2012. Their fortuitous meeting not only revealed their shared love of folk, bluegrass, and jazz, but marked the beginning of an ambitious duo project harnessing Jami’s powerful vocals and Dylan’s first rate flat-picking skills. After a few weeks of working up material, their hearts were set on a full length album featuring songs written by each. "Cluck & Croon" was released in April of 2013. "Equal parts Carter Family, Billie Holiday, and Tin Pan Alley" as described by NoDepression.com's Mat DiRiso. Lynn’s vocal prowess, delicate finger picking, and West Virginia style claw-hammer banjo blend seamlessly with James’s ringing tenor, driving guitar, and old-time fiddling. Their diverse instrumentation as well as their unique arrangements of traditional American folk songs and jazz numbers sets them on the edge of each genre.  The duo has graced stages with Chatham County Line, Casey Driessen, Paper Bird, The White Buffalo, Special Consensus, and clawhammer great Mark Johnson. Both are native South Dakotans and are currently based out of Rapid City, SD.

 

2013 Riverfest performer Jim Groth is back with a full band this time around called 'Deeper Than Square'. They will play the main ampitheatre from 7:45-9pm

Jim Groth at Riverfest 2013
Photo Courtesy of Reistroffer Design/DTSF
loading...

Groth was recently inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a third time and we asked Jim if he would put together a band of fellow Hall of Famers for RiverFest. Here's the band lineup for the band calling themselves Deeper Than Square who will play a mixture of original music and 'interpretations': Jim Groth, guitar; Dave Wood, guitar; Mark Lane, keyboards; Butch Zierath, bass; and Bobby Berge, drums. All are South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.

Here's Jim Groth from The White Wall Sessions:

 

Our main stage headliner for the evening will be Main Avenue Warehouse who will play from 9:30-11pm followed by fireworks!

main avenue warehouse
Main Avenue Warehouse
loading...

Main Avenue Warehouse, featuring members of the Get Fresh Crew (Fresh Produce): Mike Hart and Jim Spiers, a huge staple to the Jazz, Blues & Classical scene in Sioux Falls: Andrew Reinartz, and other incredibly talented local musicians: Joel Shotwell, Cade Calder, James Dittman, and John Kelly, and representing Yankton, SD – Chris Miller:

 

Last year’s RiverFest headliner will go solo on the 2nd stage, Greyson Schultz
will perform from 7-9:30pm

And Billy Lurken has been featured on the White Wall Sessions and the Blues Fix at 6 Lurken will perform from 4pm-6:45

 

The White Wall Sessions will be recording the main stage performers for an upcoming radio show! (Heard Sunday nights at 7pm)

Riverfest has several volunteer opportunities as well. Call Maureen Ohm at 338-4009 Ext. 11 or email her at maureen@dtsf.com

If you are interested in becoming an event sponsor, you can call the Downtown Sioux Falls office at: 605-338-4009 ext. 12 or Email: info@dtsf.com

Ample parking is available for this event. In addition to city lots and streets, the following parking lots are available for event parking:
• North Cherapa Place Parking Lot (No Event Parking on South Cherapa Place Lot)
• Kilian Community College Lot
• 8th & Railroad Center Lot
• Lumber Exchange (CNA) Building Lot & Ramp
• Commerce Center Lot

Event Timeline:

4:00 – 8:00pm: Kids’ Activities on Raven’s Riverfront
4:00 – 6:45pm: Billy Lurken on the Midcontinent Stage South of 8th Street
4:30 – 5:30pm: Burlap Wolf King on the Great Western Bank Amphitheatre Stage
6:00 – 7:15pm: Jami Lynn & Dylan James on the Great Western Bank Amphitheatre Stage
7:00 – 9:30pm: Greyson Schulz Performance on the Midcontinent Stage South of 8th Street
7:45 – 9:00pm: Deeper Than Square on the Great Western Bank Amphitheatre Stage
9:30 – 11:00pm: Main Avenue Warehouse on the Great Western Bank Amphitheatre Stage
10:54 – 11:00pm: Fireworks Presented by Xcel Energy, Northwest of venue

Riverfest will also will feature interactive art elements for all ages offered by DTSF community artists and art organizations. Efforts to coordinate these art elements were headed by DTSF and downtown member businesses Exposure Gallery & Studios and Artísia Fine Art Services.

Exposure Gallery & Studios Art Installation:
Sponsored by Exposure Gallery & Studios and Stockwell Engineers, local artists will construct an installation piece live at the event, which focuses on community and the beauty of the Big Sioux River. Artists Zach DeBoer, Les Cotton, Marc Wagner, Jess Johnson, Kevin Caraway, Solomon Carlson, Amy Jarding, and Dave Lethcoe will be creating a 6x18 ft. mural on canvas live during the event on the greenway by the 8th Street bridge. There will be 6-8 people working on the mural at any given time from start to finish.

The completed mural will be on display following the event at Exposure on September 5th during their First Friday art show.

“We’ll be participating because we think it’s a fun event and great way to introduce the people of Sioux Falls to the kind of amazingly talented artists this city has,” DeBoer said.

Jenna Weir:
Local artist Jenna Weir will have a space at the event to demonstrate both painting and ceramics. The ceramics demo will feature slip trailing on clay before it is fired, which she hasn’t before demoed in Sioux Falls. The painting demo will involve watercolors.

South Dakota Wood Carvers:
Local wood carvers Arne Bortnem and Derek Boekhoff of SD Woodcarvers will have a space at the event to display hand carved sculptures, traditional wood carving and relief carving.

Kids’ Activities:
Adding to the family-friendly nature of the event, the Community Learning Center of the Washington Pavilion will feature kids' art activities such as spiro-graph art, beading fun, and easel painting located at the Raven riverfront directly across from the riverfront amphitheater. Kids of all ages are welcome to enjoy these Pavilion-led hands-on activities.

Sidewalk chalk will be available for all ages to show their creativity on the south end of the venue near the Midcontinent Stage and interactive water fountain.

Celebrate community at the downtown riverfront next Saturday, August 16th, at Downtown Riverfest presented by Lloyd Companies. Festival goers will enjoy local art, free kids’ activities, live music, food, beverage and product vendors and fireworks! #DTRF

Click here for a detailed map of the Riverfest area.

Riverfest 1
loading...
Photo Courtesy of Reistroffer Design/DTSF
riverfest 4
Photo Courtesy of Reistroffer Design/DTSF
loading...
riverfest 5
Photo Courtesy of Reistroffer Design/DTSF
loading...
riverfest 6
Photo Courtesy of Reistroffer Design/DTSF
loading...

More From KXRB