ROGERS — There will be some additions to the annual Frisco Festival next month, including a kids concert, said Wendy Jones, chairwoman of the festival.
“I know we always say the festival is going to be bigger and better every year, and I think this year is no exception,” Jones said. “We’re going to have a mix of music I hope will appeal to every age group.”
The festival is scheduled for Aug. 23 and 24 in downtown Rogers.
At A Glance
The Frisco Festival is scheduled for Aug. 23 and Aug. 24 in downtown Rogers.
Scheduled to perform:
• Trout Fishing in America
• Hot Lix
• The Ashlyn Metheny Band
• Backroad Anthem
• Other entertainment to be announced
Source: Staff Report
Four-time Grammy nominated folk/rock band Trout Fishing in America is scheduled to take the Frisco Stage at 10 a.m. Aug. 24 for a family-oriented concert. The concert will feature favorite Trout Fishing tunes as well as new material on their latest album, “Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers,” according to festival officials.
“We’re very excited about having Trout Fishing in America at the festival. They are very well known and I expect they will draw a huge crowd,” Jones said.
Hot Lix, which plays 1980s rock, will be featured Aug. 23 as will feature country music groups, The Ashlyn Metheny Band at 6 p.m. on the Frisco Stage and Backroad Anthem at 8:30 p.m. Metheny is back by popular demand after appearing at the 2012 Frisco Festival. Backroad Anthem recently opened for country performers Gary Allen, Toby Keith and Luke Bryan, festival officials said.
This will be the first time beer and wine will be available during Frisco Festival in the Entertainment Garden just north of the Frisco Stage.
There will a carnival on First Street behind the Rogers Water Utilities building, and festival favorites including kids’ rides, the Lake Atalanta Eliminator 5K run, the Race for the Spike and the Chilisalsapeno competition will return. Other events returning include the Rogers Rotary Fish Fry, Whitey’s Chicken, the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad train rides and the annual Classic Car Show.
Some downtown merchants close Saturday because of the number of booths lining the downtown streets. Others said Frisco Festival is good for business year around, not just the two days of the festival.
“We get a lot of business during Frisco Festival,” said Ashley Causey, manager of Victoria’s Cafe Bistro, 113 W. Walnut St.
“Third Friday events and the Frisco Festival are crucial for downtown. Our business grows more every year, and give the events downtown the credit, because they bring thousands of people downtown. They see a store they like or a restaurant they want to try, they come back after the festival,” Causey said.
Events such as Frisco Festival also benefit businesses outside downtown, said Leslie Logan, assistant property manager at Village On the Creeks on the west side of Interstate 540.
“We’re mostly a vendor office complex, although we do have some retail and restaurants. I feel like Mellow Mushroom pizza gets some of the traffic from Frisco Festival. Rogers isn’t a east/west city, it’s one city. The festival and events in town, be they downtown or out our direction, are good for everyone,” Logan said.