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http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS Thursday, July 18, 2024 27

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Audience members listen to music happening on the Fantasy Forest stage

at a prior Leilapalooza at Leila Arboretum. (Shopper News file photo)

Food, drink and craft vendors will

be on hand at the 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Leilapalooza next week in Battle

Creek. (Shopper News file photo)

background and their foray into sing-
ing and songwriting seemed like a
natural progression.
“I just kind of decided ‘I think I
want to make it a little more per-
sonal to me’,” they said, “so I moved
back recently, I released an EP in
April and I’m just working on my
Leilapalooza set right now. That’s
pretty much where I’m at.”
Mars will open on the Oak Stage at
11 a.m.
“I will be singing my originals,”
they said, “and then a bunch of just
fun little songs that people like on
the ukulele.”
Leilapalooza Music Festival
was founded by the Battle Creek
Metropolitan Area Moustache
Society (BCMAMS) 14 years ago as
a fundraiser for the Leila Arboretum
Society (LAS.)
The event committee, led by J.J.
Ramon, is also offering a vendor
row, adult beverages and craft and
food vending.
Proceeds from the parking fee and
beer tent are donated to LAS.
Ramon said he has continued to

organize Leilapalooza because there

is no other music festival in the area

in which all of the entertainers per-

form without pay and where admis-

sion is free.

“This year we’ve got 34 acts,

we’ve got an electronic and dance

stage in the garden area so that will

be nice,” said Ramon. “There will be

something for everybody and I think

that’s what keeps it going. Whether

you like rock, electronic dance, blue-

grass, jazz and just about anything

you can think of, we’ve had it over

the years. You can go to one place

and see what you like.”

Most of the acts hail from Battle

Creek and surrounding areas while

some will attend from out of state.

“We have Truth Untold from

Canada who is stopping by to play

on their way through and we’ve had

bands from Ohio, California, New

York and everywhere in between,”

said Ramon, “but we focus predomi-

nantly on Battle Creek and Michigan

music artists and give them a plat-

form to get their music out there, get

their name out there.”

Ramon said that bands and acts

wanting to perform at Leilapalooza

add up to well over 100 each year

though only about 35 can be accom-

modated.

The performance schedule fills up

by February.

“We’ve gotten new performers

every single year and we like to

bring back the acts that everyone

really likes as well,” said Ramon,

“people who play covers of radio

rock and country favorites.”

The festival also offers live heavy

metal and hard rock later in the day

with “softer, more family friendly

music” earlier in the day, he said.

Returning this year is local favorite

Barefoot Blonde while also perform-

ing is newcomer Hannah Fae.

More acts include Lucid Vibe,

10 Gauge Rage, B Haan, the Ultra

Violets and more.

The event has been scaled back

since the COVID-19 pandemic of

2020.

“In 2016 we 66 acts on six stages

and it was spread out from the pavil-

ion to the bowl where we do the sled

race and out in front,” said Ramon

referring to FebruHairy Festivus.

“Since COVID we’ve tried to keep it

toward the front between the fountain

and Fantasy Forest area where there

is a permanent stage and the Oak

Tree stage across from the Fountain

Stage and now the Native Garden

area triangulates that.”

A small fee for parking benefits the

LAS.

LEILA
Continued from Page 26