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32nd Byronfest Serves up Music and Fun
By Peggy Werner ew music and food options and two beer gardens will be part of this year’s 32nd ByronFest celebrated in downtown Byron on July12-14. During the festival, the small town of about 3,000 grows 10 times larger and showcases all that Byron has to offer, says Sarah Downs, executive director of the Byron Chamber of Commerce. Each year, organizers find ways to make the event even better. This year, the festival layout is being changed to make the traffic flow smoother. Also, for an extra $20, a brand new VIP area gives 200 people special amenities both Friday and Saturday nights, with beer garden access. Downs says ByronFest is known for its non-stop music on two stages. The Exelon Stage is located on Second Street and the Byron Lyons Stage is in Municipal Parking Lot 1.
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“My goal is always to provide a wide variety of musical styles so there’s something for everyone,” says Downs. “I don’t think there’s a popular genre of music that isn’t represented.” Headliners this year include Nashville’s William Michael Morgan, who’s on tour this summer, having made his claim to fame with his first No. 1 hit, “I Met a Girl.” Other chart-climbing hits including “Missing,” and “Vinyl,” the title track to his debut album of the same name. Influenced by music legends Keith Whitley and Merle Haggard, Morgan has earned a reputation as one of country’s great singer-songwriters. He’ll perform from 10 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday on the Byron Lions Stage at ByronFest. Opening for Morgan is Dylan Jakobsen, who is quickly making a name for himself in country music with his first
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single, “In America,” which is climbing country music charts. Jakobsen will perform from 8 to 9:30. Other performers on the Lions Stage include, on Friday, Smokin’ Gunz from 5 to 7 p.m., Stevee Nix from 7:15 to 9:15 p.m., and Two White Crew from 10 p.m. to midnight; on Saturday, Mike and Adam from noon to 2 p.m., Love & Thunder from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Zac Matthews from 5 to 8 p.m.; and on Sunday, Three Good Men from noon to 2:30 p.m. and Big Uproar from 3 to 5 p.m. The Exelon Stage will feature, on Friday, Vodka Boys from 5 to 7 p.m., Colonel Gunn’s from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Catfight from 10 to midnight; on Saturday, Flight Risk from noon to 3 p.m., Monroe from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Party Doctors from 6 to 8:30 p.m., and Sunset Strip from 9 to midnight; and on Sunday,
