Twin Ports Bridge Festival adds a day for flood relief

• Trampled By Turtles

The local bluegrass band that has drawn national attention will headline the second day of the Twin Ports Bridge Festival fundraiser for regional flood relief. (Photo courtesy of Trampled by Turtles)

Talk about it

Best-case scenario: It takes six months to put together an outdoor summer event like Twin Ports Bridge Festival.

There’s signing bands, finding speakers, securing vendors, organizing family-friendly activities and reserving the city’s premiere outdoor venue.

Amount of time it takes to tack on an additional day to the festival as a benefit for regional flood relief: About 36 hours, if everything goes seamlessly.

The second annual Twin Ports Bridge Festival starts at 10:15 a.m. Saturday at Bayfront Festival Park and features The Jayhawks as headliners of the event that includes regional bands, group yoga, family activities and sky lanterns.

Through juggling and scheduling luck, Bauer was able to add an additional day to the festival on Sunday with Trampled By Turtles headlining and proceeds going to the United Way’s flood fund.

“We feel pretty fortunate the way it all worked out,” festival organizer Shane Bauer said.

COMING TOGETHER

Bauer already was thinking about the benefit concert before the June 19 storm ended and damages to homes, roads and parks in the region had been accessed. The Bridge Festival is an event with a mission of uniting the community. A flood benefit was a fit.

He wasn’t the only one thinking of a fundraiser.

Preston Gunderson, a recent graduate from the College of St. Scholastica, had quickly put out word on Facebook announcing a benefit for Duluth, details TBA, that caused at least 700 people to click “Join.” He’d begun soliciting booking agents for musicians with local ties.

Singer-songwriter Sarah Krueger told Gunderson she was in.

Matt Ray, of Matt Ray and Those Damn Horses, was just starting to talk about playing a benefit, then Gunderson contacted him.

And according to Mayor Don Ness, Dave Simonett of Trampled By Turtles offered assistance mid-storm.

“I got a text from a friend on the road saying ‘What can I do? I want to play a benefit concert,’ ” Ness said last week.

Bauer and Gunderson eventually realized they were treading in the same pool and began working together. Then the pieces quickly fell into place.

Trampled By Turtles has a busy summer schedule, but was willing and available on Sunday. The Twin Ports Bridge Festival had Bayfront Festival Park reserved through Sunday.

“I sent the mayor a long, heartfelt e-mail about planning the festival,” Bauer said. “I said the timing is crazy and it almost seems like it was meant to be.”

HOW THIS WILL WORK

On Saturday, the Twin Ports Bridge Festival starts at 10:15 a.m. with group Zumba and continues with music by The Fractals, Charlie Parr, Caroline Smith & the Goodnight Sleeps, The Honeydogs and The Jayhawks.

The event was originally planned as a fundraiser for the Music Resource Center, and Bauer said they plan to donate $10,000 to the organization that pairs school-aged musicians with professionals for after-school sessions to learn about making and recording music. Any additional money raised on Saturday goes to the United Way’s flood fund.

The Boomchucks play at noon Sunday, kicking off Day 2 — which is just a benefit for the flood fund. The musicians have volunteered to play this event.

Sarah Krueger, who plays the main stage at 12:30 p.m., was originally in Saturday’s lineup but shifted to Sunday and donated the money she would have made from the original agreement back to the United Way.

Musicians regularly get asked to play fundraisers and benefits, but this one specifically means a lot to Krueger, she said.

“You have to kind of pick and choose what you want to support,” she said. “This would be the top thing on my list. I really love Duluth. I love calling it home. I love the community.”

Bauer said he has a lofty, but do-able goal of raising at least $100,000 for the flood fund.

Tags: arts and entertainment, wave, entertainment, music, duluth, bayfront, money