Quincy — After announcing the move from Fort Madison, Iowa to Quincy, Riverfest organizer Charles Kraft knew there would be some challenges. That said, the weekend was still a complete success, he said.
“Anyone who came here would have had a great time,” Kraft said as the crew worked Sunday morning to remove the festival equipment that has graced Quincy’s Lincoln Park this week. We changed it but it was locked for the weekend as we had already booked entertainment so our goal was to come to Quincy to get established and show everyone what a big event like this looks like That was it.”
RiverFest has been an event at Fort Madison for years, but this year had to change direction due to construction going on in and around the park area called Home. But the change of venue he’s not a one-time event.
“This is not a one-time thing,” says Craft. “We’ll be back in Quincy. Look at the weekend, that could change. We’re not going to make instant judgments, but with some confrontations this weekend, it’s what we’re doing. I think there is. I will assess it.”
Conflicts Krafft mentioned include county fairs in Marion and Brown counties and the Old Settlers event in Payson.
“These events have more things that people want to bring their kids with, like animals and rides,” Craft said.
Kraft was also candid about how heat likely affects voter turnout.
“We knew we had a fair amount of walk-up business to deal with because the time to market was so short,” he said. “But when the heat index hit him over 100 degrees, I think it was 109 (Saturday), people are either going out and spending money and standing in the heat or staying at home with the air conditioner on. You can select.”
One of the changes made for this year’s festival was the musical line-up. Thursday featured Puddle of Mud at the top of the bill alongside Through Fire, Stars Intoledo, Very The Shadows, and The Red Lips, filling out his night of rock music opening. Saturday’s headliner was his Badflower, a rising star alongside 10 Years, Any Given Sin, Etched in Embers, Greylight Divide and Ghost of Judas, who brought a new heavy rock sound to the riverfront.
But RiverFest turned Friday into a country night for the first time. Calista Clarke, Lily Rose, Blacktop South and The Boys backing Chris Cagle set the night off, and Craft said they wanted to add something a little different for music fans who aren’t all rock. .
“Of course it was added before we moved,” he said. “At the moment we think we can’t do anything about it. It’s hard to make a judgment based on this weekend with travel and everything else. Like I said, we’re easy on anything. I’m not going to make any judgments.”
Music wasn’t the only thing available to festival-goers at RiverFest Quincy. The Quincy Ax Company set up an ax-throwing mobile trailer on site for an escape room experience. Food outlets have also popped up to provide a variety of options for those spending time at the three-day event.
Craft acknowledges the support of local organizations that help organize events. The festival is supported by grants from the Adams County Emergency Management Department, the Adams County Sheriff’s Department, the Quincy Police Department, the city’s Bring Entertainment to Quincy (BET on Q) program, and food and food distribution volunteer organizations. Held with the support of drink tent. He cites the Quincy Park District, which went to great lengths to make the event happen.
“I don’t know if there’s anyone I’ve been able to work with more than the people in the Park District,” Kraft said. What used to be just a field of weeds has become a festival ground for us, with extra mowing and leveling some low spots with dirt and wood chips. It’s been great. I think we’ll talk to them this week to see what we can change and move forward for next year.
The festival weekend capped off Sunday morning with breakfast provided by American Legion, the benefactor of donations made for breakfast. I cycled inside the tent with the Riverfest staff. Craft said he’s already started thinking about next year’s event while he’s tasking his team.
“To the Quincy folks, take a look at our website and social media pages and be prepared to mark your calendars for next year,” he said.