Ball State University Senior Nick Armogida promises this year's Springfest will be an "epic adventure." After becoming the main organizer of the music festival two years ago, Armogida has watched Springfest grow from a small collection of local bands to a yearly event some people travel 24 hours to attend.
Springfest 2010 will go all weekend starting today at 11 a.m. at the Water Bowl in Muncie. Armogida said this year's festival is expected to have 3,000 to 5,000 people. The event will feature sets by 47 bands from all across the country on three stages. People of all ages can stop by for a day or camp out through Sunday.
"I just want people to be out there and feel like they've been transported to another world," he said.
Springfest was created three years ago by former Ball State student James Nimmer. He gathered a group of musical acts, set up a sound stage and turned the Water Bowl into a music venue. At the time, Armogida organized a concert series called Live at the Water Bowl. They decided to collaborate and produce music festivals in the fall and spring. Nimmer's fall event is called Wuhnurth, while Armogida focuses on Springfest.
Armogida said a primary focus of Springfest is raising environmental awareness in Muncie. The Springfest organizers take the time to market the festival in an earth-conscious way by coming up with creative options.
"A lot of the these larger scale festivals put about 15,000 to 25,000 pieces of print materials out," he said. "I think we did less than 5,000 this year. Flyers are very wasteful. We have them go out and make sidewalk chalk ads."
These sidewalk chalk ads have been drawn all over Muncie including the White River walkway, downtown, the Village, in parks and in front of houses.
Armogida said the festival's two strongest areas of marketing are on the internet and word of mouth.
Kim Gillenwater, promotions director for Springfest, said festival attendees will also be encouraged to keep waste problems in mind during the festival. Each car that comes into the Waterbowl during the weekend will be given a trash bag as well as a recycling bag.
"It‘s our way of saying, ‘Take an extra second; look at which thing you're throwing your trash in,'" she said.
Armogida said he and his team spent $50,000 on non-musical entertainment this year. Along with the concerts and camping, there will be intricate light shows, art and jewelry vendors, fire dancers, art installations and characters in costumes. The Water Bowl allows for the opportunity to give people an unforgettable experience, he said.
"If you've ever been there, it has a big lake and large pond, and it has its own natural amphitheater," he said. "It's just the scenery and the atmosphere out there, it's great."
Gillenwater agreed the Water Bowl offers a unique experience.
"It really is like it's own little island," she said. "It doesn't feel like you're in Muncie at all."
Gillenwater said many people see Springfest as the real beginning of the music festival season. Now that the weather is getting warmer and summer festivals are beginning, the buzz for outside music is getting stronger, she said.
"We get to kick off the season," she said. "People come with a heck of a lot of energy. People are even excited to see local bands like Catch Curtis, because even if people have had the opportunity to see them lately, it hasn't been outside on a stage with the lights and having that kind of freedom."
Matt Parkison, bass player for Catch Curtis, has attended Springfest in the past as a fan. He said he is excited for his band's first opportunity to play the festival.
"It's just really fun," he said. "It's like a real jam-band music festival kind of atmosphere. There's always something special about playing outside."
Armogida said attendance at Springfest has risen immensely in its three years. Along with Wuhnurth, the festival has grown 100 percent each year, he said. Because the Waterbowl has both, the reputation of the venue spreads much faster than many other music festivals.
Gillenwater believes Springfest is unique because of the wide variety of musical genres it offers including bluegrass, country, rock, jam bands, electronica and disc jockeys. There are also activities at the Water Bowl such as volleyball, cornhole and a playground.
Because Springfest has become so popular, new safety measures are being taken. Campers are no longer allowed to park their cars at campsites so tents aren't trapped. There are also organic food vendors this year to accommodate all different types of people.
The bigger the festival gets, the happier it makes Armogida. He said even though running Springfest is a business, his passion for bringing people together comes first.
"What really got me into it was just kind of going and seeing how many cool people you can really meet, and just the love they have for each other," he said. "People really look out for one another out there. The fact that you get to put that pleasure on somebody's face, and you get to experience it yourself is amazing."
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