2017 Festival Entertainers Advanced Cheer Crew All Starz – advancedcheerallstarz. com, shawk@cowley.edu, 620-441-5206, (Arkansas City) Cheerleaders from all across the area represent the program. They serve over 100 kids in the Ark City area teaching gymnastics, dance and the sport of cheerleading. They have won over 75 National Championships all over the World and have been ranked as one of the Top Small Gyms in the Midwest. Ages are from 3 to 18 years of age. They practice 365 Days a year performing all over the United States! Alferd Packer Memorial String Band – alferdpackerband. com, ask.a.luthier@gmail.com, 785-841-0277, (Lawrence) The Alferd Packer Memorial String Band is five multi-instrumentalists, dressed in old time costumes, singing and playing fiddles, banjo, guitars, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, accordion, bass, and creative percussion. The band has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning with Bill Geist, and in a documentary called “Overlooked” which aired on KTKA-TV. They were the focus of articles in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Readers’ Digest. Their music has been used in a national broadcast on NPR. Their infectious good humor and high energy leave no toe untapped. Ann Zimmerman – annzimmerman.com, ann@annzimmerman.com, 785-825-7135, (Salina) With an irresistible stage presence and roots deep in the American grasslands, Ann Zimmerman sings her native prairie into universal language and works magic from songs of life on the windy plains. Her confident Kansas style has taken her across the continent with award-winning songs that tell stories and paint portraits, leaving audiences laughing, thinking, and singing.
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Bryton Stoll – brytonstollmusic.com, brytonstoll@brytonstollmusic.com, 785-713-2716, (Marysville) Bryton Stoll is a 20-year-old singer/songwriter from the small town of Marysville, Kansas. Picking up his first guitar at the age of 11, Bryton has been playing and writing music ever since. He released his debut album on his 17th birthday which was followed by another on the day of his graduation. These albums helped Bryton hone his skills at writing, recording, and producing, which has led to a brand new generation of songs, showcased in “Finger on the Trigger” a work-in-progress album that currently includes five songs. Carrie Nation & the Speakeasy – carrienationandthespeakeasy.com, carrienationband@yahoo.com, 316-285-2873, (Wichita) Carrie Nation & the Speakeasy is a high-energy “Brass ‘n’ Grass” sextet from Wichita, KS. The band, whose sound has been described as “…a stagecoach in overdrive”, has brought their eclectic blend of punk, bluegrass, and dixieland to packed bars, basements, and festivals across the US since their inception in the spring of 2007. CNS plays hundreds of dates a year hitting 47 states and 5 countries. The band has built a dedicated following with their energetic live show and ability to fit on the bill with acts ranging from bluegrass to rockabilly; punk to ska. Breakneck mandolin solos melt into blaring trombone and trumpet lines, while the standup bass and feed-bucket-trap-set churn out driving rhythms that carry the force of a Kansas freight train. CNS has been pounding the highways and byways of this great country for 8 years now, bringing their songs and stories to thousands. Always providing a high energy, drink’em down atmosphere to any place they play, CNS has proven a dedication to their live shows with a solid understanding of what entertainment really means.