By Theresa-Marie Wilson
One weekend a year for the past quarter of a century, the City of Grover Beach is known for its music scene. Thousands are expected to turn out for the 25th Annual Stone Soup Stone Soup Music Festival and Street Faire on August 22 and 23 in Grover Beach at Ramona Garden Park. The event is put on in conjunction by the Arroyo Grande & Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce and the City of Grover Beach.
To mark the 25-year milestone, the chamber went after a bigger headlining band and secured the popular eighties new wave, ska band The English Beat for the Saturday 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. slot.
“I hear that their fans are going to come first thing in the morning and stake out their territory for the entire day so that they have good seats by the time English Beat comes on,” said chamber President and CEO Judith Bean. “Usually they play in an indoor venue where you have to buy a ticket to see them, but having them play outside at a free venue is going to be huge.”
There will be one band playing per hour on two stages throughout the festival offing an eclectic mix with everything from Mexican pop to Celtic rock. Bean is most excited about the group Jimmy & Enrique who play from 3 to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
“There are two guys, and if you closed your eyes you would think that you were listening to 10 guys,” she said. “They are amazing. Jimmy plays the Flamenco guitar and Enrique plays the drums, and you are just blown away. Your jaw will drop open, and your butt is going to wiggle.”
If the music isn’t enough to draw you in, there will be activities for kids, a model train display, and about 75 craft faire vendors. Don’t pack a lunch because food wont be a problem; vendors will be selling everything from fair favorites kettle corn and funnel cake to sliders, hot dogs and roasted corn on the cob.
Dog lovers can bring their furry friend to participate in the Mardi Paws Dog Parade on Sunday at Noon. This is a second line style Dixieland parade led by the local band the MudSkippers who perform from 11 a.m. to Noon. Costumes are encouraged.
Prizes will be awarded for Best Mardi Paws theme, Most Original, Most Colorful, and Best Dog/Owner Look Alike. All entries will receive a participation ribbon, and the first 100 folks and their dogs to arrive at the Rabobank parking lot will receive a free dog bed with a toy attached courtesy of Eddie and Liz Adams who own both Law Docs and Enchantments by Liz in Grover Beach. Start the weekend off with a little exercise at the 27th annual Dune Run-Run 5k and 10k race on Saturday. Registration opens at 8 a.m. at Ramona Garden Park and the race starts at 9 a.m.
The Stone Soup Stone Soup Music Festival and Street Faire runs from 10.a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information and a full band lineup, call the Arroyo Grande & Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce at 489-1488 or visit www.aggbchamber.com.
