SILOAM SPRINGS -- The Siloam Springs Music Festival will return on Saturday with two patriotic concerts at the Chautauqua Amphitheater.
The first concert will begin at 9:30 a.m. and last until 11 a.m. The evening concert will be from 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m., according to Mark Barnett, the organizer of the event.
Originally, the concert was planned to be held July 4 at the airport, but it was too complicated to organize, Barnett said.
Morning concert
The first concert of the day will feature three local bands, Barnett said. At 9:30 a.m., the Edgar Island Band will play alternative tunes for the audience, Barnett said. Adam Goff, the frontman for the Edgar Island Band, will also perform during the evening concert, Barnett said.
At 10 a.m., banjoist Dennis Keigley of the band Southern Tradition will perform Bluegrass favorites, Barnett said. The other members of Southern Tradition could not make it, but Keigley recruited some other musicians to perform with him. Barnett has dubbed this band Dennis and Friends, he said.
The other musicians performing with Keigley will be Hack Poteet on guitar, Tim Hill on stand-up bass and Larry Perry on the mandolin, Barnett said.
Mojo Bone will take the stage at 10:30, Barnett said. Mojo Bone has been around for two decades, according to the band's Facebook page.
Brothers Donivan and Gralon Hudgins teamed with drummer Mack Clemons and bassist Coy Stephenson to create the band Mojo Bone to perform in a talent show in 1998. Over the years, the band continued to perform at Dogwood Festivals, parties, weddings and other events, Barnett said.
Both of the Hudgins brothers are now commercial pilots for United Airlines but still take time to perform for audiences. In the last year the band has added Christopher Barnett on keyboard and tenor saxophone to provide an even greater variety of music, Barnett said.
Evening concert
The evening concert will feature the community band and choir as well as the Siloam Big Band, Barnett said. Daniel Hodge, the conductor of the high school band, is taking time away from his summer vacation to conduct the community band and perform in the big band, Barnett said.
Patriotic music is on tap for the evening performance, Barnett said. Paul Smith, known as Mr. Choir around Northwest Arkansas, will be a part of the show, and Steven Hamilton will direct the community band and the big band, Barnett said.
Other performers will include Siloam Springs graduate Kim Hayes, who sings with the Alaska Chamber Singers and will perform in the choir; Becky Riggs, who served as choir director at the high school and will sing with the big band; and Goff, who is singing in the morning concert and will also be back for the big band performance, Barnett said.
The concert will finish with all of the bands combining to perform the Battle Hymn of the Republic, Barnett said.
Barnett, who grew up in Siloam Springs, wants to bring the beauty of music to his community, he said.
"As the community has grown and we've realized how beautiful our city is, Siloam is a great community that is supporting our own friends and neighbors that have a lot of gifts," Barnett said. "... I want to provide a variety of musicians the chance to perform."