At the beginning of February, an event called Shadowfest at the Monroe County Fairgrounds was canceled after years of planning.
Pam Weaver had booked bands, vendors and volunteers for Shadowfest, which was going to be an entertainment and camping event for families.
Spence Taylor, of Bloomington-based Lightning Heart Productions, was hired by Weaver to build the musical lineup and oversee the technical production for the event. But after the cancellation, Taylor’s role changed.
“I got to call everybody and deliver the bad news,” Taylor said. “And that's always a difficult range of emotions, from really angry and frustrated to kind of sad, to just very understanding.”
Through the frustration, Taylor saw an opportunity to start over. He is now putting on a smaller, more intimate festival entitled Shine On Music Fest at Stable Studios in Spencer. The festival will run April 6-8.
“It's really cool to have the opportunity to kind of reclaim the opportunity for the bands and the production crews, and kind of move that over to Stable Studios, which is locally owned, and family owned,” Taylor said.
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Taylor said he and his Shine On co-creator, Kati Taylor, have had to work on a tight budget due to the loss of affiliation with Shadowfest and Weaver, who was paying for everything before.
He has hired multiple vendors, both from in-state and out-of-state. There are multiple small businesses and women-owned businesses, which Taylor said was a priority.
“That's one of the things I always strive for, inclusiveness is the magic of the event,” Taylor said. “And it's open to everybody.”
The festival will have live music on the outdoor Pavilion Stage, which has a covered roof in case of bad weather. There are RV and tent campsites, free parking, a community campfire, a movie night and more.
Attendees get solar eclipse viewing glasses included with their ticket. Children 10 and under get in for free.
