IT’S SUMMER MUSIC TIME!

from Inspire(d) Summer 2023

as you WONDER WANDER

Summer is the perfect time to soak up great live music and festivals in our region. We’ve been big fans and supporters of music across the Midwest since the launch of Inspire(d) in 2007, and we love to know that each summer there are more and more amazing opportunities out there. We took a moment to highlight a handful of favorites below – but it feels nearly impossible to give enough high-fives and props to all the good folks working hard to organize great music in the Driftless. So we’re creating a resource page at iloveinspired.com to connect you to THEIR websites to see up-to-date listings. Hop on over and check them out, shoot us an email if you’ve got another site to add to the list, and get out there and support live music, friends! iloveinspired.com/livemusic

LARRY WHO? LARRYFEST!

BY TALLITHA REESE

More than 20 years ago, brothers Larry and Doug Sebranek from La Farge, Wisconsin, attended the a popular bluegrass festival in Telluride, Colorado. On the drive home, they began to dream of creating an authentic bluegrass festival of their own on their maple syrup farm in rural Wisconsin. Right off the bat, they knew they had the perfect acoustical setting for it. Larry had once set up a speaker in their long, quiet valley, and drove down the road to see how far the sound would travel. He ended up driving three miles before the music faded out. The first event – then Bohemian Glen Bluegrass Music Festival (named after their farm) – happened in the summer of 1998.

About 50 friends and family members attended, and six local bands performed. After that first event, a group of family and friends volunteered to help Larry and Doug plan the second festival. The first order of business: replace the too-long original name.

“The group talked to Doug about renaming it ‘Larryfest,’” explains Larry Sebranek. “Quite a surprise when the festival name change was announced at the first meeting to start planning the 1999 festival.” When Larry briefly left that meeting, he says he returned to everyone wearing caps that said Larryfest.

This year, Larryfest will host its 26th event August 17-19, with two outdoor stages for a great roster of local and national performers. Attendees travel from across the country – and even the world, as they’ve had attendees from Australia, China, Japan, and more – to listen to the sound of authentic bluegrass music echo through the Driftless Wisconsin valley landscape.

The group of volunteers was formalized into a nonprofit called Kickapoo Valley Acoustic Music Association Inc. (KVAMA), with the purpose of preserving and promoting bluegrass, folk, and old-time music. KVAMA also holds a food drive at the gates of Larryfest, and a portion of the festival proceeds go to La Farge Fire Department, La Farge Ambulance Squad, La Farge Lions Club, and the Vernon County Sheriff’s Department.

Larryfest is known for several fun traditions, from free sweet corn on Saturday, an all-attendee-invited kayaking trip down the Kickapoo River, which is near the fest grounds, free tent-camping, and magical, light-wrapped trees in the audience seating area.

“You truly get the most banjo for your buck at Larryfest,” says operations coordinator Larry Liebl. “This event has become a tradition for a lot of families and groups of friends. We really want to see the festival attract some new people to keep this tradition of bluegrass music alive for the next generation.”

And in 2022, Larryfest launched the addition of free music workshops to the weekend’s offerings, led by performers from participating bands.

Larryfest Music Festival

August 17-19 • La Farge, Wisconsin

For tickets, band line-up, and more visit KVAMA.org. Tickets can also be purchased by phone: Larry Sebranek at 608.386.1448 or at Leo & Leona’s Tavern and Dance Hall, off Hwy. 33, Newberg Corners. / Photo courtesy of Larryfest

“The workshops started as a great way to allow people to not only hear the music of the fest, but to make music and jam together,” says Kjerstin Lang, marketing coordinator for the event.

Though Doug Sebranek sadly passed away in 2015 at age 52, the relationships he built lining up national bluegrass acts each year has carried the festival forward. “That focus on offering high quality, authentic, traditional bluegrass music performed by awardwinning professional groups from the southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee, North/South Carolina, and Virginia, as well as many popular local groups has contributed to the success and longevity of Larryfest,” says Doug’s brother, Larry. Planning to attend? Grab your tickets at kvama.org, and bring your banjo and tent: It’s summer music time!

Tallitha Reese is a freelance writer and content manager based in Cashton, WI. She owns Words By Reese and you can find out more about her and her work at www.wordsbyreese.com.

Mark your calendar for these great events, and head to iloveinspired.com/livemusic for a resource page to connect with other live music opportunities in the region!