A touch of history, a touch of new

Get ready for the country music of today and then rock ‘n’ roll of the 80s.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Tri City BBQ Fest, the Chamber & Development Council (CDC) of Crawford County is giving people a touch of the nostalgic with a popular band from the celebration’s past and is also going country with one of the most popular artists of today.

Hairball, billed as “A Bombastic Celebration of Arena Rock” is returning to the BBQ Fest this year as the headline act on Saturday, September 21.

Hairball performed at the inaugural Tri City BBQ Fest in 2014 and returned for years 2 and 3.

Mariah Nutt, CDC office manager, said the decision to choose Hairball was partially by popular demand and partially to celebrate the BBQ Fest’s past.

“Anytime we ask on social media about bands, Hairball is overwhelmingly the favorite, but also with this being the 10-year anniversary, we wanted to include some elements that were staples back when the event started,” Nutt said.

For the country flavor injected into the BBQ Fest, Casey Muessigmann was selected as the headliner for the concert on Friday, September 20.

Muessigmann, from Spencer, added to his fame by appearing on Season 3 of The Voice and was a member of Team Blake (Shelton).

“Paul (Plumb, the CDC executive director) knew of Casey because of his background working in the Okoboji and Spirit Lake area,” said Nutt.

Plumb was the entertainment buyer for Arnolds Park Amusement Park and was previously the organization’s sales manager and marketing director.

“Paul has seen some of Casey’s shows and said that he brings the energy and puts on a great show,” Nutt added. “Casey will fit that BBQ Fest bill and he’ll also give people a great time.”

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Broadway Dental is the stage sponsor for the Friday night performances and Monogram Foods is the stage sponsor for the Saturday night performances.

Smithfield Foods is the title sponsor for the Tri City BBQ Fest.

Last week’s announcement of the concert headliners is a little earlier compared to past years, Nutt said.

“The reason we did that is because we just want everyone to be able to plan a little bit more ahead of time and bring their friends and family,” she explained. “If people have a class reunion and need a tent, this gives them more time.”

The full lineup of bands will be announced in the near future, Nutt said.

She added that people can watch the Tri City BBQ Fest’s Facebook page to keep current on new announcements about the event, including other elements that tie into the celebration’s past.

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