It’s hard to sum up an entire weekend of entertainment, excitement and country music in one word, but there is one word that Keynon Ternovoy is satisfied with using to describe the Centerfield Music Festival – “amazing.”
Ternovoy is the event co-producer with Troubadour Event Management, and one of many organizers responsible for pulling off what is hoped to become an annual event in St. Paul.
As the UFO landing pad sat in the foreground, thousands of people from near and far took part in the two-day affair, starting Friday night with Jimmy Whiffen, The Dungarees, Aaron Pritchett, and Trooper taking the stage for a night of entertainment.
As the night went on, the crowd in front of the stage grew, and as the sun set, Trooper was blasting out some of their best-known songs, and people of all ages were having a great time, singing along, and cheering throughout the night.
As day two began, the crowd swelled even larger, with some local talent taking the stage. A number of the members in Base Line Union call St. Paul home, and Elk Point’s Olivia Rose was also on hand to perform a few songs. JJ Shiplett played through some rainy weather, but a lawn filled with umbrellas didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits.
Ridley Bent played into the evening, while Carolyn Dawn Johnson drew a large crowd, filled with a number of people who appeared to know every word to each of the songs she played.
During the set, local country music star Brett Kissel made his second early appearance of the weekend, first taking the stage with Pritchett on Friday night for a song, and then taking the stage with Johnson as the two did a bit of an impromptu duet.
It would be closer to the 10 p.m. when the last act would hit the stage.
Kissel performed a number of hits, while also debuting a couple new songs, and performing some well known covers.
“This is as good as it gets,” said Kissel, as he spoke to the thousands of people gathered in front of him. “What we’ve always wanted to do with Centerfield is make this a mini (Big) Valley Jamboree.”
Kissel said he felt like maybe he didn’t really fit into the lineup, playing alongside some of his favourite musicians, and described Johnson as one of his favourite singers of all time.
At one point, when looking out to the crowd, Kissel almost appeared a little overwhelmed.
“I’m just blown away by this crowd tonight,” he said, adding, “I’m so honoured to be part of this.”
By Sunday afternoon, the huge stage that had hosted the impressive lineup was already taken down, and the Jaycee ball park was looking much more empty than it has just 24 hours earlier.
Ternovoy said the entire weekend was special, and he particularly loved seeing the enjoyment and smiles on everyone’s faces, regardless of age.
“Whatever age you were, it was set up for people to enjoy it.”
A number of things stood out to Ternovoy over the course of the weekend, but it was “the vibe,” that he described using one of Trooper’s well-known lines – “We’re here for a good time.”
“It just seemed warm, and inviting and fun, and that’s exactly what we wanted. The atmosphere was tremendous.”
He noted that the artists were “fascinated by the setup and the view.” Having a music festival nestled in a small town offers artists and those attending a unique experience.
Ternovoy said he could see the joy and love of music shared by the spectators.
And what has Ternovoy taken away from the weekend? “I think St. Paul is a great place to host a music festival.” He believes there is room for organizers to make this a long-term, viable event for St. Paul.
And while many things are necessary for an event of this magnitude to be successful, Ternovoy says the buy-in from a number of local organizations has been key. From day one, to when the stage came down on Sunday, the support has been there.
As a spectator and supporter of the festival, St. Paul Mayor Glenn Andersen said he felt the weekend, overall, was a great thing. It brought people back to the community that hadn’t been here in a while, and offered families an event to attend together.
“Is there some things that can change? Yes,” conceded the mayor, but overall, the music festival kept the community busy, and a lot of comments were made saying the event could put St. Paul on the map.
Andersen also noted that seeing local musicians take the stage was special. He added that the Lakeland area has a lot of great talent, and “We should be exploiting that.”
For Ternovoy, he has one hope for the future.
“I just hope we can be back again, same time next year.”
