The 20th Midwest Reggaefest will be starting this Friday, August 12, 2011. The three day event will feature 20 bands, some of them playing for the first time on Sunday night. It will be held at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Garretsville.
Founder and promoter Packy Malley said, “Every Reggaefest seems like the first one. It’s been a successful venture every year. Some years, the profit was so small I could spend it all on two gin and tonics after the show. But I have never lost money on it.”
For the first 15 years of the festival, Meadow Ridge Farm in Huntsburg Township, an hour east of Cleveland, was the event’s home. Owners of the farm Linda and Art Smith, fondly look back at some of the memories from those years.
“We did a lot of different events back then,” Linda Smith said, “But the Reggaefest was one we really enjoyed. The hill was full of people relaxing and cooking. They had their dogs and kids with them. It was always a mellow atmosphere. We used to look forward to it. We always had fun, too.”
Malley has always been a huge unwavering supporter of the reggae scene in Cleveland, even beyond the festival, and Reggaefest is his way of bringing more of the music into the community.
“Early on I realized that I can’t play music. But I can organize it,” he said.
The 20th Midwest Reggaefest will run from Friday to Sunday, from 12nn to 11pm everyday. Tickets are $95 all weekend, $75 starting Saturday, and $50 starting Sunday. Fees include camping through Monday morning.
Headlining acts this year are Yellow Man (Friday), Etana (Saturday), and Mighty Diamonds (Sunday).
