READY FOR ROCKTOBER
Annual music festival returns Oct. 9
The Hot Springs Farmers & Artisans Market will be the place to be on Saturday, Oct. 9, when rock musicians take the stage for the Spa City Rocktober IV Music Festival, event coordinators said.
Dean Agus, event director and coordinator, said he’s hoping the event’s fourth year will be the best yet.
“It’s going to be full of music, full of fun for all ages,” he said. “So bring the whole family, bring your friends, neighbors, everyone.”
Bands will be performing starting at 3 p.m., with the final band going on at 9 p.m. The event will have a $10 cover, with those 12 and younger admitted for free. Everyone will receive a ticket at the gate for a chance to win a Fender Stratocaster guitar, sponsored by Guido’s Hot Springs Music.
The lineup features seven bands, ranging from local groups such as Hooker Red and Adayas to headliner Trapt, known for their 2002 hit “Headstrong.”
The idea behind the original event was formed when Agus noticed there wasn’t a local festival centering on rock music.
“I was sitting there in my kitchen, brainstorming, thinking we’ve got a Jazz Fest, we’ve got a Blues Fest, but we don’t have anything with rock,” said Agus, who is also the owner of ArtBeat Entertainment, through which he’s putting on the event.
Assistant Coordinator Kimberly Hillestad, who also works as a multimedia consultant at The Sentinel-Record, said the Hot Springs area is full of musical talent. She and Agus met because they were both musicians, she said.
“It’s a really beautiful community, the music scene is. So this is just cool, being able to incorporate it and give them a stage to play on and bring the community out and just let everybody be a part,” she said.
Local band Hooker Red has performed all four years of Rocktober fest.
“I think this is a good outlet for local artists to be able to present their own music,” guitarist Ron Schoultz said. “There isn’t a lot of that left anymore in Hot Springs. There’s not a lot of live venues anymore left in Hot Springs. So, it allows people like us and other bands in town to have an outlet to actually put it out there to the community.”
Lead singer Brean Schoultz also talked about the talent in the Hot Springs music scene.
“There’s tons of it here, and there’s just not enough venues to go around, it seems like, for how much talent is in Hot Springs,” she said.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s event was held at The Blitzed Pig instead of at the farmers market, following safety measures while hosting around 16 different bands over two days, Agus said.
“We took full advantage of the situation and made a party out of it, as good as we could,” he said.
After a year and a half of dealing with the pandemic, Roger Crawford with Your CBD Store in Hot Springs, a Main Event Sponsor for the festival, said the community needs an event like Rocktober Fest.
“This is a boomtown, it really is. And I get fired up when we can all network together and bring the community together,” he said. “After a year of being sheltered in place and staying away from each other, let’s put on some rock music and set up some beer stands and get some art out here and some CBD out here and let’s just have a good time and attract some more talent to our little town.”
Agus said they’re also looking into whether or not they will be able to broadcast the Arkansas Razorbacks game during the event, as well.
“For those Hog fans out there who feel like they might miss the game if it’s airing that weekend, we’re not sure yet, we’re kinda going week to week with the schedule,” he said. “But I believe we’re going to be airing it right here, we’re going to be showing it right here for those fans who want to come out and watch the game and listen to music and maybe have their kids be a part of something out here with all the fun stuff happening.”
Food trucks and merchandise vendors will also be in attendance. Agus said vendors will have donation jars for local charity Full Circle Missions, with whoever raises the most receiving an as of yet undisclosed award. He noted 10% of the money from entry fees will go toward the charity. According to Agus, The Arlington Hotel and Tire Express on E. Grand Ave are also Main Event Sponsors for the festival.
With rock being a broad genre, Agus said they have had blues-rock musicians, pop-rock, soul-rock, alternative rock, and more. This year, he said he was receiving three to five messages a week from bands wanting to be a part of the event. Agus is hoping the event will become a staple in Central Arkansas for years to come.
“Every year, I wish I could do a four-day event, three or four days. I just have to pick and choose and do my best not to hurt anyone’s feelings,” he said. “But hopefully next year we’ll get some other bands on stage and let everyone share a little bit of the fun.”