Crown of the Continent Guitar festival kicks off on Sunday

Bigfork will come alive with the sounds of voice and instruments when the sixth annual Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival opens Aug. 30.

The event, which runs through Sept. 5, has become a world-renowned attraction for musicians and the community is embracing it more than ever, founder David Feffer said.

The artists at the event are appearing more and more outside of the Crown festival grounds at Flathead Lake Lodge. Feffer said this year more of an emphasis has been placed on fellowship of the musicians in the Flathead Valley. Many of the fellowship programs around the valley are free, including one in Whitefish and one at Flathead Valley Community College Thursday night.

In the last five years of the Crown guitar festival, word has spread among the international music community that Bigfork is the place to be. “They trip over themselves to come here,” Feffer said. “This is an honor. It’s a big deal.”

It’s not just about the music that the teachers and students enjoy here; it’s the Montana hospitality, Feffer said, that the Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival is known for. “That’s one of the things they love about coming here, is the way they are treated,” Feffer said. “They say this is something you don’t get anywhere in the world. Every one of them wants to come back.”

The Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival is on a high-growth curve, and Feffer said the foundation behind the festival is backed by a strong board of directors and strong staff. “This year is a big knowledge transfer to a staff that’s fabulous,” he said.

The Crown Festival board has attracted some heavy hitters to its board, which includes a former international marketing director for McDonald’s and a former president of EMI Records. “We wanted to build a sustainable organization that will be here 20 years from now,” Feffer said. None of the music, or the impact that it has on the communities of the Flathead Valley, would happen without tremendous community support, Feffer said. It’s taken five years, but each year the festival has grown in stature and outreach. Organizations like the Glacier Symphony and Chorale and Kalispell Regional Medical Center have partnered in some way with the Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival. Feffer estimates the festival contributes $7 million to $8 million to the Flathead Valley economy. “People love what we’re doing because it contributes to the economic viability and culture of the valley,” Feffer said. “The stuff we do here is unique in the world.”

Feffer spent a 40-year career starting and building businesses, mainly in the healthcare sector. The Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival is one of his highest personal accomplishments, he said. “It’s been an incredible journey. If I knew what we were setting out to do I probably never would have done it,” he said. “The coolest thing is how the community has embraced it.”

THE MUSIC

This year a series of pre-festival events are planned during the week before the festival offering free guitar instruction and solo performances by several promising national scholarship winners who will attend the Crown Guitar Workshop Aug. 30-Sept. 5 at Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork.

“Live at Flathead Lake” will be held on Aug. 29 from 5-11 p.m. at Flathead Lake Brewing Company in Bigfork. Featured entertainment will be the Crown All Stars and Solomon Hicks. There is a $10 cover.

 This live, outdoor concert will feature six hours of blues, funk, jazz, rock, and much more by Crown Guitar All-Stars, such as Solomon Hicks, Leandro Pellegrino, and others.

Proceeds from the $10 entry fee will be donated to the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation scholarships. This year, money raised at this event will go toward helping change a Bigfork child’s life by sponsoring a full scholarship to attend the 2015 Workshop and Festival. During the concert, Sandy Johnston and Greg Johnston, owners of the brewery, will present a plaque to their first ever scholarship winner, Ben Russell, a local Bigfork high school student.

The main concert will be from 5 to 11 pm. The pubhouse is on the corner of Holt Drive and Montana Highway 35. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10, and the entry fee includes one free drink ticket. Children 12 and under may enter at no charge. Parking is available at the Bigfork High School.

Also added is India Carney, a recent finalist on the popular NBC TV show The Voice, who will sing at two Crown Guitar Summer Celebration Series public shows on Aug. 24 in Whitefish and Aug. 29 in Bigfork She will also present a free public clinic on Stage Presence for Guitarists Sept. 3 from 4-5 pm. Admission is limited and must be reserved by calling 855-855-5900 in advance.

Seven nights of music are on tap for the Crown Guitar Festival featuring the star-studded lineup of Artists in Residence who will be teaching during the Crown Guitar Workshop.

The Festival concerts are held on the Crown Festival Stage under a big top tent on the grounds of Flathead Lake Lodge. Gates open each night at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. concert.   

 2015 CROWN FESTIVAL CONCERTS

Aug. 30 —  “World Classical” with the LA Guitar Quartet.  

Aug. 31 – John Herington and Madeleine Peyroux

Sept. 1 – Jazz Legend Lee Ritenour and Friends.

Sept. 2 – Brett Dennen and David Grissom

Sept. 3 – Zappa Plays Zappa and Romero Lubambo

Sept. 5 – Amazing Finale Extravaganza This family friendly concert features the Crown Faculty All Stars joining with over 15 of the Crown Festival Artists onstage.

Tickets are now on sale at www.crownguitarfest.tix.com. Tickets may also be purchased at outlets in Bigfork: Nancy O Interiors, Electric Avenue Gifts and Donna Shanahan Interiors

For more info visit: www.crownguitarfest.org or call: 855-855-5900