Weekend events | Tumbleweed folk music event kicks off in Richland after 2-year break
A Tri-Cities Labor Day tradition is back after two years of being held virtually.
The Tumbleweed Music Festival will celebrate the end of summer Friday evening through Sunday.
More than 100 mostly free performances and workshops by Tri-Cities area and Pacific Northwest folk musicians are planned along the banks of the Columbia River in Richland.
In addition the end of summer will be marked with Prosser’s annual “State’s Day” event and the Tri-Cities area unions’ Labor Day picnic, which is open to the public, at Columbia Park in Kennewick.
The Tumbleweed Music Festival will have performances on five stages in Howard Amon Park in Richland, plus music and dance performances and workshops at the Richland Community Center in the park at 500 Amon Park Drive.
Friday night young up-and-coming musicians will perform 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the North Stage in the park near Lee Boulevard. There is no cost.
Saturday free events are planned in the park and the community center from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with sea shanties, blue grass, blues, Celtic music and other acoustic performances. Kid-friendly performances are planned on the River Stage from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Saturday night concert will start at 7 p.m. at the North Stage, with some of the festival’s best known performers. Cost is $15.
They include The Great Sanger & Didele Seamen of the Inland Empire with sea shanty parodies; Trillium-239 with cello, banjo and guitar harmonies; and folk music by Dan Maher, the former longtime host of Inland Folk with Dan Maher on Northwest Public Broadcasting radio.
Sunday another day of free performances is planned from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
The only event with an admission cost Sunday is the Contra Dance 8 to 10:30 p.m. in the Richland Community Center.
If you’d like to participate in the festival, an open mic will be available all day Saturday and Sunday outdoors near the north entrance to the community center. Impromptu jams happen on the grounds near the community center.
The three-day festival will include food vendors, arts and crafts vendors, a silent auction and a guitar raffle.
Parking close to the park fills quickly, so organizers recommend that people come early with blankets or chairs to use on the grass and plan to spend the day.
A full schedule of events is posted at tumbleweedfest.com.
Labor Day highlights
▪ The 9th annual Labor Day picnic in the Tri-Cities will include a free lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at the Columbia Park main stage in Kennewick.
The event, which is open to the public, will continue until 3 p.m. with a car and motorcycle show, live music, face painting, cotton candy and bounce houses.
People should bring their own blanket and remember that it is a no-alcohol, family event.
▪ Prosser’s oldest community event, “State’s Day,” starts with a parade billed as the “Longest Parade in Central Washington” at 10 a.m. Labor Day.
After the parade, family activities are planned at City Park — off Seventh Street between Memorial Street and Sommers Avenue — including a stage show, concession booths and games until 1 p.m.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 5:00 AM.