ROMP drew 18,500 last weekend

Keith Lawrence, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·2 min read

Jul. 2—Attendance at ROMP Fest last weekend was up 50% from last year.

Chris Joslin, executive director of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, which produces the four-day festival at Yellow Creek Park, said the 19th annual event drew 18,500 people from 36 states as well as France, Germany and Great Britain.

Last year, when ROMP moved to September because of COVID-19, it drew around 12,000 — the smallest number in a decade.

Joslin said then that people being reluctant to get in crowds with the pandemic still in full swing, the festival moving to a date after school started and few people from other countries wanting to travel to the United States were among the likely reasons for the lower attendance.

Thirty-two states were represented last year, but no fans came from other countries.

ROMP was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

The festival's record attendance was set in 2018 with more than 27,000 fans from 38 states and six countries.

Joslin said high gas prices and lingering fear of COVID-19 probably kept some away this year.

But he said he's glad to see the return of international fans to both ROMP and to the Hall of Fame.

"We were very pleased with attendance," Joslin said. "There was a lot of enthusiasm. Bluegrass is very important to our brand and to the brand of the community."

Last year, Mayor Tom Watson proclaimed the city as the "Bluegrass Music Capital of the World."

And he appointed a nine-member Bluegrass Music Capital of the World Task Force to find ways to tie bluegrass music with economic development.

Joslin said ROMP, which began in 2004, gets tweaked each year.

This year, the stage was moved slightly and hot-air balloons were added.

And this was a rare year with no rain during the festival.

Joslin said there was a lot of hot weather, "but that can be expected in June."

He said the Hall of Fame is working on "several unique things" for 2023 and doing more aggressive programming in Woodward Theatre.

Joslin said John McEuen, a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1966, will be performing on Aug. 13 with his The Circle Band.

Tickets are $22.50 and $28.50.

McEuen will be talking about the Dirt Band's classic 1972 "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" album, which featured the Dirt Band with some of the pioneers of country and bluegrass music.

Joslin said McEuen will also be signing copies of his new book, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken: The Making of a Landmark Album, 50th Anniversary," which goes on sale on Aug. 1.

Keith Lawrence, 270-691-7301 klawrence@messenger-inquirer.com