It is summer time again and that means it is time for Sweet Pea Festival in Bozeman. Excitement abounds as all the hard work and preparation in getting it all put together is about to pay off. Sweet Pea is set for August 5th-7th, at Lindley Park with the kickoff slated for Friday night at 4pm. At 4:30pm, Shakespeare in the Parks presents ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ in the Hollow. This performance, as always, is an all time favorite and should not be missed. However, if time does not permit you to attend the Friday night Shakespeare production, you will have another chance on Sunday at 5pm to catch ‘The Merchant of Venice’, also set to perform at the same venue. Tickets for the Sweet Pea Festival are $12 in advance until August 3rd, and $17 at the gate. The last chance for a reduced rate is August 4th at Jacob’s Crossing. Get your tickets early for the best deal as the one time fee covers the entire weekend. Where else can you get three days of entertainment for $12?!

This is the 34th year for the famed Sweet Pea Festival in the Gallatin Valley, and the focus this year is the community.

“The community is our primary sponsor,” says new Executive Director Andria Huntsinger. “There are no corporate sponsors and no commercialism allowed in the park whatsoever.”

This means that when you visit Sweet Pea, there will be no Pepsi, Bud Light, or any other big business signage touting big corporate contributions and prodding you to buy their products. This is a great thing for a small community like Bozeman, giving added revenue to local vendors, and is much appreciated by many. The emphasis for this Sweet Pea is local, local, local; not only bringing the current music scene to the forefront but local artists and crafters as well. The poster art that won the contest this year is mother daughter art/graphic design team Karen Lucky and Ivy Davis both from Montana. The original poster will be raffled off to one lucky individual during the Saturday night Main Stage performance. Raffle tickets are just $1 and are available at the Sweet Pea office and the merchandise tent at the Festival. Winner need not be present to win. The floral theme of this year’s work of art is delicate yet bold and eye catching and is one of my favorites from the historic long line of posters over the years.

A remarkable 1500 volunteers is what it takes to put on a festival of this size. There is still a need for more however, as these volunteers do everything from merchandising, ticket sales and children’s activities to manning the booths thatsell food and wares. If you are interested in being a volunteer for Sweet Pea, please contact their office or website at www.sweetpeafestival.org.

So, what is the big deal about Sweet Pea?

Bozeman Magazine asked this of the Sweet Pea Board of Directors, our Facebook friends, and the community at large and got some great responses
to our question.

“Sweet Pea is a great community event opportunity to see friends and neighbors and celebrate art is all its forms.” Andria Huntsinger tells us.

“Sweet Pea is the weekend long embodiment of what makes Bozeman so precious. The sense of tradition and community! And it gives so many long lost Bozemanites a reason to come home! Great food, amazing music, and the best people America has to offer!!! I LOVE SWEET PEA!!” states Colleen Haas via Facebook.

Linda Rinchen Barrow, via Facebook, shares that “the down side: lots of kids—NO dogs allowed.”

Thrive lets us know on Facebook that “It’s a local community event highlighting all the talent we have in this valley!”

Board of Directors music chair member, Adele Lassiter expresses that “It allows locals to be exposed to national and local music, dance, theatre and artisans. It is completely volunteer run and sponsored by the community. And money raised goes directly back into the community in the form of arts grants, park rehabilitation, etc….This year’s festival should be a blast!”

We spoke to one Bozeman resident, Nicholas Rogers; at the Emerson Lunch on the Lawn “I just moved here from Billings and am excited to see what the big deal is all about Sweet Pea! I will be attending with my four year old son, Jamison. We love the area and can’t wait for the festival!!”

This year’s performers are an eclectic mix of national and local talent with acts such as Bearfoot, a progressive bluegrass, folk and alternative country band, and The Yes Team which is a family friendly dance band performing pop-rock and soul. Both of these acts are set for Friday night Main Stage. Slated for Saturday night on the Main Stage is velvet voiced Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers putting a unique spin on some classic standards with some Jazz/Blues and Big Band music. On Sunday, watch for Shawn Mullins whose poetic lyrics have captivated audiences and will draw you in with his Americana, Blues and Country acoustic set. There is a little bit of entertainment for everyone with arts and crafts, the Sweet Pea Children’s Run, Church in the Park, and several Theatre troupe performances. Not only will there be the famed Montana Shakespeare players, but you can catch The Kaleidoscope Theater Players, The Spontaneous Combustibles, Equinox Theatre, The Kaleidoscope Youth Theater Camp and the Silly Moose improv. There is also fun for the kids with learning and creative hands on activities in the children’s StoryBookLand near the Family Stage.

Both days hold activities such as wood sculpting, Paper Mache masks, and tie dye. Just make sure to bring your own shirt!! For more detailed info on who plays when and where, you can pick up a schedule of events at area businesses or go to www.sweetpeafestival.org

Come out and support local, live art and theatre at the 2011 Sweet Pea Festival! Have a frozen dipped banana for me!

Stacey Faldetta is a political activist turned freelance writer living in Belgrade. She is currently working on her poetry book ‘A Thousand Little Sparks’ and loves to spend time with her 4 children in the outdoors of big beautiful Montana. She can be reached at mtcinnamon73@gmail.com.