Thousands headed to Ozark area for Wakarusa

The sixth annual Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival is set to be held on Mulberry Mountain near Ozark, June 4-7. From its inception in 2004 until 2008, the June festival was held just outside of Lawrence, Kan.

With previous ticket figures reaching above 20,000, the festival’s move to the area is anticipated to have a large economic impact on the River Valley. Wakarusa officials have said they expect 10,000-15,000 concert goers each day. An estimate on the impact the festival had on the Lawrence area was slated in the $8 million to $10 million range.

A local impact already certain is that Natalie Alexander of Greenwood won the Wakarusa poster contest (see her poster below). Alexander, who works for Fort Smith-based Riverside Furniture in Web support and design, received two VIP passes to Wakarusa.

As for the actual music, the participating bands are from a variety of genres, but with a focus on “jambands.” Past performers have included James McMurtry, Los Lonely Boys, Drive By Truckers, Spoon, BR-549 and — the official favorite band name among The City Wire staffers — Four Fried Chickens and a Coke. (Link here for the artist lineup and link here for the performance schedule.)

Peter Lewis, food and entertainment writer for The City Wire, has interviewed several of the bands expected to play at Wakarusa. During the next several days, The City Wire will post excerpts of the interviews and his reviews of bands scheduled to play. (Link here to his first interview with “Big Smith.”)