PRESS RELEASE
What: The Eatonic Music Festival with Buddy Guy, Noah Wotherspoon, Rumpke Mountain Boys, Nightbeast, Kelly Richey and others
Where: Preble County Fairgrounds, 722 S. Franklin St., Eaton
When: Friday, Sept. 4, through Sunday, Sept. 6. Starts at 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Festival gates open 3 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Cost: $49 Friday, $35 Saturday and $25 Sunday; $80 for three-day passes
​Hosting a music festival was a longtime desire of Manfred Schreyer, the owner of Taffy’s in Eaton. He finally made that dream a reality with the Eatonic Music Festival, being presented at the Preble County Fairgrounds in Eaton on Friday through Sunday.
“Since I own Taffy’s I’ve made many friends, and many of them are in the music industry,” Schreyer said recently, sipping an iced coffee outside of Ghostlight Coffee. “Our dream was always to put a music festival together for our area, so people can come out and have a good time. We hope to create a music festival that’s truly for music lovers and about the celebration of real, live music.”
To help realize his vision, Schreyer enlisted Ashley Bechtel for organizational assistance.
“I started working on this by myself in September (of 2014),” he said. “By March I was so overwhelmed I hired Ashley, and she’s been a goldmine in resolution and logistics. We haven’t had any problems we couldn’t overcome. The only thing we struggle with is time. Together we’ve put in 4,280 hours. That’s a lot.”
Local support has been overwhelmingly positive from the Chamber of Commerce, the Tourism Bureau and other agencies and businesses that recognize the positive economic impact Eatonic Music Festival can have on the region.
“We’ve been blessed,” Bechtel said. “Our community has really helped us. This is a true music festival. It’s done for the love of the art and the love of our community. People see that. The businesses have seen that, too, and recognize what it’ll do for the community.”
There will be plenty of regional talent on display throughout the weekend, including Scotty Bratcher, the Almighty Get Down, Noah Wotherspoon, Rumpke Mountain Boys, Nightbeast and Kelly Richey. However, the big draw is blues legend Buddy Guy, who headlines Friday night.
“It’s a great lineup,” Schreyer said. “We’ve got 35 bands and we selected a great variety from all over the United States, including the regional area. Of course, having Buddy Guy is gigantic, especially after B.B. King died. He’s the last legend of the blues, so having Buddy Guy come in and put on a show is like having, Elvis, the King of rock ’n’ roll.”
Bechtel said the major preparation is completed, and they’re ready for the music to begin. “We’re tying up the loose ends and doing our anti-rain dance,” she said.
This was the 2015 Eatonic Music Festival's website.
The content below is from the site's 2014-2015 archived pages.
Enjoy a nostalgic trip back and revisit the culmination of one man's dream.
The Eatonic Music Festival
"Only if one is a believer in something can one act purposefully."
Many of you know me as the owner and operator of TAFFY's of Eaton, Ohio, a small music venue with over 250 concerts each year. At Taffy's, we host international, national, regional and local artists all year 'round.
Over the many years, we have heard and seen incredible aritsts perform at TAFFYs, and this festival is an event to bring together all those who love music and life, and wish to experience all that music and life have to offer.
The Eatonic Music Festival is more than a festival. it is a place where we may share the love for each other, our great love and respect for music, and the talent of the artists. I would like for each of us to experience this weekend as a moment in our lifetimes when we can be worry-free and experience life as it was meant to be.
I trust that this will event will be part of a spiritual journey in your life, as I have tried to place into this weekend everything you need: Incredible artists, great art, food and entertainment vendors, camping opportunities, and an open space for a great time together.
And as in every life event, the circumstances are formed with others. Those others care about community and have vision. Without the many sponsors who made this event possible, there would be no such event. Please support those who share their resources with you.
We will see you at the Eatonic Labor Day Music Festival!
And you sure did. Lots of folks were thrilled by the lineup. I came with a huge group of friends and we had a blast. Aside from the music, one of the more memorable things about the festival for me was that I was finally able to see the bands preforming on the stage. What??, you may ask? Well, I obviously had needed glasses for quite some time, but being vain, I didn't want to wear eyeglasses and for some reason I couldn't wear contact lenses. But the eye problem became bad enough and I was up to renew my drivers license, so I took the leap and went to the optometrist and picked out cool looking round eyeglass frames. Voila! I could see objects in the distance. What was I thinking? So awesome. The day of the festival was the first day I wore the eyeglasses out with my friends. Got a lot of compliments on the round frames. But more importantly the bands were no longer blurs in the distance.
Corporate Sponsors:
Gold mentioning indicates "Key Sponsor"
- Henny Penny Corporation
- The Preble County Medical Center -Kettering Health Network
Coca-Cola
WRGT-TV FOX 45
WKEF-TV ABC 22
Town & Country Veterinary Clinic
Sinclair Community College
- Stan's Body Shop
- Warm Glow Candle Company
Cornerstone Manufacuring
Fiesta Charra
Your Flower Shop
Brown Transport Inc.
Eagle Fence and Contruction
Coconut Oil Online
Budweiser
Yuengling
Jiffy Lube Eaton, OH - Richmond, IN - NewCastle, IN
- Barnes Funeral Homes
Ameriprise Financial® - Rudy Roth
John's Tire Service
S. and J. Kleinhen
Heindl Engineering, LLC
HeritagePoint Financial - Isaac Sheperd
Sheriff Goslin Richmond
Steven Shaffer Chiropractic
Steinke
Travel Centers of America - Eaton, Ohio
Silfex, Inc.
Eaton Place
Anytime Fitness®
Catron's Glass
Wildcat Sports & Graphics
Neaton Auto Products Manufacturing, Inc.
Seven Hills Coffee
Somerville National Bank
BusinessDesignGuys.com
Heidi Hoskins Flory - A Green Smoothie Life
Stewart-MacDonald
Myers Chrysler - Dodge - Jeep
Preble County Chamber of Commerce
M & S Body Shop
Barnhizer & Associates, Inc.
Bullen Ultrasonics
Twin Valley Equipment
Staffmark
Cabaniss Custom Painting
Fitzwater Tree & Lawn Care
American Family Insurance
CHW Mechanical Services
Melia Rambo - Stump All Occasions Events
Tridia Hospice
serving Preble - Montgomery - Darke - Clark - Green - Shelby - Champaign - Warren Counties
Eaton Computer
Wallace Heating & Air
Guitars to Gunstocks
Better Life Wellness Center Richmond, IN
Full Recovery specializing in Opiates
Lawn Plus
Heidelberg Distributing - Wine Division
A&B Mini Storage LLC - New Paris OH
Rodeo Shop
Miami Valley Vision Care - Karl Hofman
Neller's HVACER Service
Girton Schmidt-Boucher Gard Funeral Home
- TimkenSteel -
- Preble County Agricultural Society
- Walnut Harvest Auctions, LLC
- D & D RV
Brubaker Grain
Charlotte Banquet and Catering
concert-captures.com
RAYMOND JAMES® - Andy Bambeck, M.S.,CFP®
- Summit Chiropractic
- State Farm Insurance - Steve Winn
- Stockslagers Greenhouse and Garden Center
- Brad Riley
-Andrew Gaydosh & Associates
- Don and Jeannie Fox
- J & R Drain, Sewer Cleaning and Plumbing
- cincyticket.com
- Carol Braughton (Logo & Poster design)
- Jane Schreyer - Attorney at Law
- Preble County Economic Development Partnership
- TAFFYs of Eaton - The Music Mecca of the Universe
- Karen Marshall -Reflections
- Sarah's Pizza
- The Twin Valley Bank
- Jell's Sports Bar and Grill
- Ann Mann
- The Stable
- Preble County Visitors and Tourism Bureau
- WNKU Radio
- Vancrest Health Care Centers
- US BANK
- The Petelle Group at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Big Hill; Carl - Kathi Patelle and Marcie Glander
- Rodney Creech (Preble County Commissioner)
- DayLite Donuts Eaton
- Eilerman Insurance Agency, Inc