Soap Lake Folk and Food Festival off to a successful start

SOAP LAKE — Three-digit temperatures couldn’t keep folks away from the first annual Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival on Saturday.

“We had people messaging us on Facebook saying, ‘You know what, it was hot, but I still stayed in the park for 12 hours,’” said Kim Anderson, one of the organizers of the festival. “That's some dedication. They wouldn't have done that if they didn't really enjoy what was going on.”

The festival was held in Soap Lake’s Smokiam Park and featured six musical acts, some local, some coming from a little farther away. One performer was unable to make it at the last minute, so Rylei Franks, who grew up in Soap Lake, stepped in and performed a set with almost no warning.

“I remembered seeing some of his stuff on social media performing locally and that he lived in Soap Lake and it's like, ‘Hey, what about Rylei? Maybe he can swoop in and save the day,’” said Genevieve Gray, another volunteer. “You know, we can't just let the spot go empty.”

The stage was created by dividing the park’s picnic shelter with a wall of hay bales. Tejano Skyz started off the festivities in the morning with a norteño set. Singer-songwriters Billy Stoops and Carl Tosten performed in the afternoon, and the Delta G Blues Band finished out the night. 

“Everybody enjoyed the fact that it wasn't a festival with just one style of music the whole entire time,” Anderson said. “There were all these different styles, and they were getting exposed to different cultures and different styles of music that they may not really have ever experienced before.”

Leif Totusek surprised the crowd with his broad range, Anderson said.

“Everyone … said he was an unexpected gem,” she said. “He took us on a musical journey of the world, and it was really fascinating. He started in New York and  … we went to Morocco, we went to the Congo, we went to Haiti, we went all over the world with his music.”

“I loved the first group (Tejano Skyz),” said Kris Nesse, who was watching the music while keeping an eye on her great-granddaughter. “Just because I think the accordion is way cool.”

There were also craft and food vendors, many of them local, and a beer garden. 

Next year, the committee is going to focus a little more on fundraising, Anderson said, now that they’ve shown that the event can be a success. It could eventually grow into a two- or three-day festival, she added.

“I've had nothing but great feedback,” Anderson said. “Some of the comments were that this was the best musical festival Soap Lake has put on in the last 15 years. The musicians loved the hay bale stage, they absolutely loved it … And most of them said, ‘We would love to come back next year if you'll have us.’”

Joel Martin may be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.

A photo caption in the print edition of this story incorrectly identified Billy Stoops.  The error has been corrected above.

    Wendell Tobiason reads out the winning number in a raffle drawing at the Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival Saturday. Local businesses donated prizes for the raffles, which organizer Kim Anderson said were hugely successful.
  

    Myla Lopez, 6, of Soap Lake enjoys a snow cone at the Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival Saturday afternoon.
  

    Festival attendees soak up the shade at the Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival Saturday. The mercury soared to 101 degrees, but many people stayed the entire 12 hours even so.
  

    Singer-songwriter Billy Stoops performs at the Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival Saturday.