moondance Nice

from Area Woman Magazine Jun/Jul '19

by Lake & Home Magazine | Area Woman Magazine

compassion for nutrition

What Makes Moond Ance The Festiv Al Of The Summer

the warm sun kissing your shoulders, your body outfitted with that festival attire you have been planning all winter, and a cold mug filled with your favorite summer beverage in hand – it’s Moondance season! Whether it’s rock, country, dueling pianos or harvest moon, Moondance has become known for its easy feeling and good times. At any given event, if you’re not already a regular, you’ll soon become one. With the majority of its attendees coming back year after year, you wonder, what draws these loyal crowds and creates the Moondance family? Meet Kathy and Bill Bieloh.

It all started when Bill’s father passed away in 1983, leaving the couple with a plot of land in Walker, Minnesota. “We looked at each other and thought, ‘We should do something with this,’” Kathy remembers. So, in 1989, Moondance Ranch was born. The funny thing about it, Kathy laughs, is “we didn’t know anything about horses!” But as local grocery store owners, they were always focused on providing something beneficial to their community. Before long, the couple started to explore the idea of bringing music into the mix. Though not particularly big festivalgoers themselves, Kathy remembers them talking at a festival and saying, “You know, we could do this at the Moondance Ranch.” It was in the summer of 1992 that Moondance Jam was born.

For the first few years, Kathy describes it as being largely a community event called Moondance Jam and Barbeque. “We started with maybe 200 people, mainly staff and friends. I cried on

Sunday thinking, ‘Oh man, how am I going to do this again?’” But each year it returned bigger than the last. Its growth was seen as features came and went, from horseback riding to dunk tanks. “I re member thinking at about three to four years in, ‘Maybe this is not a dunk-tank event anymore,’” says Kathy. Staff grew too, many of whom have stayed to this day. “We have had 75–100 of our staff for a minimum of 10 years,” Kathy proudly shares.

Moondance Jam, the original rock festival, contin ues to be known for its classic rock focus. And for a rock festival, amazingly, Moondance is known across all festivals for its “Moondance nice.” This small-town, homegrown and welcoming vibe at tracts the following it has gained year after year. In 2007, Moondance Jammin Country Fest joined the line-up, becoming known for debuting up-andcomers including Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band and, most recently, Old Dominion.

But, in 2010, tragedy struck the Moondance fami ly as Bill Bieloh died suddenly of a massive heart attack at the age of 51. “It was devastating,” Kathy shares. “But with our 20th coming up in 2011, I knew I had to do it just one more year, for every body.” Amazingly, Kathy and her “lieutenants” (managers fondly named at Moondance) and the whole crew were able to carry on the festival because of the belief of what it meant to those who attend year after year. Now, eight years later, they’re still going strong. “I have people tell me all the time, “Omigosh, everyone’s so nice. Everyone’s so happy we’re here,’” Kathy shares. “Others tell me, ‘This is our family reunion every year.’”

In remembrance of her husband and co-founder, every year Moondance plays a video of the long-held Bill and Kathy tradition of raising their mugs to a toast with the entire festival crowd. That video plays every Friday night. Their commitment to the military also shines through every Saturday night with their “tribute to the troops.” While some things remain the same, like the commitment the festival has made to giving all ticket holders access to the front row, new traditions are in the works. “We are working on opening up the grounds for camping all summer long, and each Friday night having live bands in the MDJ Saloon,” Kathy excitedly shares.

So whether you are already a part of the family, or someone who is curious to experience it for the first time, Moondance welcomes anyone and everyone with open arms and a front row seat to the show.

MOONDANCE JAMMIN COUNTRY

JUNE 20-22