QUILCENE — Moonfest, now in its third year, seeks to provide a Jefferson County take on the rock festival experience with three days of fun and music in a bucolic setting.
“If we were in college, this would be our junior year,” said promoter Jim Munn, who is hosting the event on a 24-acre parcel adjacent to Lake Leland.
“We have all the bugs worked out and want to make this a regular part of the summer.”
This year’s festival will benefit World Vision, www.worldvision.org, a Federal Way faith-based organization that collects funds for the support of children and families.
In its first year, Moonfest raised $2,500 for the American Cancer Society. The second event lost money.
Moonfest takes place from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday, from 1:30 p.m. to midnight Saturday and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at 324 Munn Road, which is at the end of Snow Creek Road off U.S. Highway 101 about 5 miles north of Quilcene.
Parking and camping are included in the $90 three-day pass.
Individual day tickets — $35 for Friday, $45 for Saturday and $30 for Sunday — also are available along with a $170 VIP pass that includes all access and a goodie bag.
Advance tickets are available at www.moonfest2013.com.
Military discounts are available, Munn said.
“It’s a good deal,” Munn said.
“We are presenting first-rate bands in a great setting. It’s a happy environment where we expect everyone will have a great time.”
In 2012, the one-day event featured a series of tribute bands, simulating the sound of the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Tom Petty and Led Zeppelin.
This year’s program has ditched the tribute format in favor of “a more percussive world beat” theme, according to Munn.
The common musical denominator in all three Moonfests is Roger Fisher, former Heart guitarist, who is expected to debut his new album.
Fisher has with his brother, Mike Fisher, designed a powerful surround-sound system to be set up on the festival site.
The surround system is tailormade for Echoes, the only tribute band on the bill, which simulates the sound of Pink Floyd and will be the highlight of Friday’s performance, Munn said.
Outdoor festivals are often compared to Woodstock. Moonfest organizers want to continue the Woodstock spirit, though on a much smaller scale: Woodstock gathered a crowd of 450,000, while Moonfest will succeed if it draws 450.
One direct connection between the two events is Michael Shrieve, 64, who at 20 years old was one of Woodstock’s youngest performers, appearing as Santana’s drummer.
Shrieve and his band are scheduled to appear at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Other performers include LeRoy Bell, Blake Noble and the Dusty 45s.
Singer Alice Stuart, who is listed on the festival poster, will not appear because of bad health, according to Munn.
Munn has made adjustments to the 16-acre site this year, shifting the stage position so the audience can look beyond the musicians for a view of Lake Leland.
Aside from the music, workshops on singing, songwriting, hand drumming, yoga and photography are part of the package.
Campers also can enter a campsite competition in which the site with the best “costume” will win prizes, including tickets to next year’s event,
Another difference from last year is that campfires will be prohibited because of a state burn ban, so a series of colored lights will provide the campfire ambience, Munn said.
People can use camp stoves or purchase meals from the food vendors, he said.
Hard liquor is not allowed. Beer and wine will be served in a beer garden,
Munn doesn’t know how many people to expect, saying that advance ticket sales are not an indicator of who shows up.
“A lot of people decide to come at the last minute, which makes it harder to plan,” he said.
“We expect the best but are planning for the worst.”
For more information, visit www.moonfest2013.com.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
