Born & Raised-produced festival returned to Happy Holler Aug. 27
By Lauren Beeler-Beistad
Photos by Derek Beistad, (Phantom Cat Productions)
Stepping into the beer garden at Schulz Bräu Brewing Co. to be greeted by a sea of eager festivalgoers, the first moments of Sunset on Central, held Aug. 27, were immediately off to a great start. The libations were flowing, groups of friends were gathered around sharing pretzels and brats and local powerhouse Elijah Cruise was on stage going full force with his band. The festival had been officially started for only about 30 minutes, but things already were in full swing.
The day only got better as it went on. Despite the oppressive heat, there was ample hydration available at each venue. For the two main stages, at Central Filling Station and Schulz Bräu, there were even mist machines that provided sweet relief from the late-summer sun that came beating down on Happy Holler.
Between the five venues hosting the musical acts for the day, there was something for just about everyone. If you wanted to have a livelier concert experience, you could easily move between the main stages to catch acts like The Sewing Club, Paperwork, or Moody Joody. If low-key, chill vibes were what you sought, then you could just walk down the street to Corner Lounge, Hops and Hollers or Next Level Brewing Co. to sit back with a drink in your hand while you listened to awesome locals like Kelsi Walker, Cody Noll or Zachariah Russell.
After a long day of dancing and drinking in the sun, the Sunset on Central festival truly began to live up to its name, as a beautiful sky at dusk illuminated Central Street just in time for headliners The Foxies to take to the stage at the food truck park. Although everyone had been partying all day, the energy was buzzing as the Nashville-based band brought the house down with a jaw-dropping performance. A major highlight from the set was when frontwoman Julia Lauren Bullock, in a bona fide rock-star moment, crowdsurfed during the middle of the show. The Foxies had recently released a new single, “I Don’t Wanna Want It,” at the time of the performance in anticipation of their debut album, which dropped Sept. 23.
All of the venues were in such close proximity to each other thanks to the close-knit Happy Holler business community. It was easy to hop from venue to venue, taking in several acts along the way. It was like being a kid in a candy store, but all of the candy was actually a full day’s worth of amazing performances, with each musician just as talented as the last. Bouncing around throughout the day made the festival feel like a fun scavenger hunt with the goal being who could find the coolest music. Whether it was full bands like Mercury, Whitehall and Pet Envy or amazing solo acts like Drew Jones, Evie Andrus and Corook, everyone got a taste of something they loved – a musical smorgasbord, if you will – and everyone left feeling full and happy.
