WHAT Fest to feature 37 bands

The 2013 WHAT Fest music festival is ready to entertain in Riverside for the second time this Friday.

According to the lineup list, the two-day free music festival features 37 performing artists from Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana occupying two outdoor stages and an indoor acoustic stage this year. Some performers well-known to the Platte Valley include Jalan Crossland, J Shogren and the Shanghai’d, The Patti Fiasco and the Teka Brock Band.

“There is such a potential and talent here, and the caliber of bands here is the highest it has been thus far,” said Margaret Weber, owner of the Bear Trap Cafe and Bar in Riverside. “A lot of the artists, like the Patti Fiasco, have the potential to explode and become nationally known. We’ll also have arts and crafts vendors here who work with leather, tie-dye and other arts and crafts.”

Weber said attendees are getting quite the deal to watch nearly 40 performing artists of different musical styles play in a smaller location for free. She said the artist genres include country, americana, singer-songwriter, punk, ska, DJ music and even burlesque.

“There’s so much to do and see here, and nowhere else can you see 37 high-caliber artists who are just as good, if not better than, the more well-known artists,” she said. “It’s better than having to go to Denver or another big city to pay a lot of money for more well-known artists. People can also get up close and personal with the artists here, and even mingle with them after their sets.”

Because the WHAT Fest is free to the public, yet requires many expenses to run, Weber also encouraged donations toward the event through the website http://www.indiegogo.com.

The WHAT Fest is free of charge and takes place Friday and Saturday at the Bear Trap Cafe and Bar in Riverside along Highway 230. Music begins at 3 p.m. on Friday and 12 p.m. on Saturday, and lasts until 1 a.m. on both days.

For more information on the two-day event, visit http://www.whatfest.com. Attendees are welcome to check into area campgrounds or motels for an overnight stay. To make a donation, visit http://www.indiegogo.com and type “WHAT Fest 2013” in the search box.