Misting fans to cool Dancing Rabbit Music Fest

James Beaty, McAlester News-Capital, Okla.
·2 min read

Jul. 12—Organizers of the upcoming July edition of the Dancing Rabbit Music Festival concert series already know they'll have a hot show in downtown McAlester — both musically and weather-wise.

That's why they're already taking steps to cool things down for the free July 16 weekend show featuring music on the outdoor stage from the Texas Gentlemen, Shawn James and the Quaker City Night Hawks. That'll be followed with a couple of after-show performances from the bands Asphalt Mojo and Joint Custody at Downtown 312 and Spaceship Earth Coffee.

This week, organizers are working on keeping things cooler for the outdoor performances, with a high temperature near 101 degrees in Saturday's forecast.

"We've got some cooling, misting fans to help bring the temperatures down," said Dancing Rabbit Music Association Vice President Josh Hass.

DRMA President Blake Lynch said plans call for the misting fans to be interspersed near the music fans attending the event along Choctaw Avenue between Third Street and Fifth Street.

"We're going to have six total misting fans out trying to keep folks cool," Lynch said. "We'll have folks selling exclusively cold drinks and we'll have cold water."

Plans call for the music on the outdoor stage to begin at 6 p.m., although that start-time could be delayed a bit, depending on the weather. If there's a little cloud cover, organizers plan to stick with the 6 p.m. start time; but if there's no cloud cover, it could be pushed back a bit, to 6:30 or so, Lynch said.

Those attending should go to the main entrance at Fifth Street and Choctaw Avenue. Some attendees opt to pay $10 for entrance to "the pit" — the section closer to the outdoor stage.

Organizers plan to place the misting fans at different places around the festival site.

"We'll have three close to the stage; one by the food trucks and two by the sponsors' tables," Lynch said. "We are doing everything we can."

Ten food truck vendors have signed up for the July 16 Dancing Rabbit Music Festival Show. "That's the biggest number we've had for any show," said Lynch.

Also, the McAlester Regional Health Center Foundation will host a cornhole tournament Saturday afternoon, which will be inside the main tent at the festival site, he said.

Lynch said everything points to a really big show on Saturday evening, with the three outdoor stage performers, the record-high number of 10 food trucks and the two big after-shows following the performances on the outdoor stage.

Now, all that's needed is an enthusiastic audience — heat or no heat — to help keep the Dancing Rabbit Music Festival moving forward with the momentum it's already achieved.

"If people keep showing up, we're going to keep growing it," said Lynch.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.