Photos by Jay Barrett

KAMF Wrap

By Jay Barrett

Despite all early indications to the contrary, the fourth annual KDLL Art and Music Festival turned out to quite possibly be the best one to date.

Those of us setting up the tents on Friday afternoon were filled with a helpless foreboding as an impenetrable overcast slowly crept up from the south. Saturday morning dawned with a torrential rain destined to douse our little festival. Though there was a ray of hope coming from KDLL announcer Bill Gronvold, who hit the airwaves at 7 a.m. to promote the event during some of our most popular programming.

Bill, a Flight Service professional, knew where to find constantly updated Doppler radar and satellite pictures of the peninsula, promised the rain would pass. Sure enough, there on the radar screen were areas of dry rapidly heading up Cook Inlet.

The first four hours of the festival were soggy, windy and just a little chilly. But by late afternoon, the sun came out in full force and so did the crowds, who proceeded to dance until midnight and turn the event into one to remember.

The KDLL Raffle was once again a sell-out success. The first place prize of a storage shed built by Dave’s Woodworks was won by Kathy Howard. A hand-built sea kayak, donated by Pete Campbell, was went to Marlene Pearson. The $300 gift certificate to Sweeney’s Clothing was won by Linnea Renken, while Bridger Edwards took home a certificate for four seats on a Kenai River raft trip with Alaska River Adventures.

The KDLL board of directors would like to single out for praise our tireless station manager Allen Auxier for almost single-handedly wrangling the festival into existence. We couldn’t do it without you, Buff; you remain, Da Man.

Big thanks goes out to the bands (without whom we would all just be standing around in a field), our sponsors and scores of volunteers, as well as our pals Dave Anderson and Jonathan Coke from KBBI who came up and pitched in. We really appreciate all the help.

And while it hasn’t been voted on yet, KDLL is considering renaming KAMF, as we call it, to something reflecting its summer solstice and music aspects. We’ll keep you updated.