Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Clovis Music Festival lands band famous for 'Cherry Pie'; Vee tribute, Stone also slated.
Robert Mason, left, and Joey Allen of Warrant perform in concert at the Cedar Park Center April 24, 2016 in Cedar Park, Texas. The band is the final act for this year's Clovis Music Festival.
CLOVIS — Country singer Doug Stone and rockers Warrant and Steelheart will highlight Clovis' Draggin' Main Music Festival set for June 23-30.
"We think it's going to be the best one yet," festival committee Chairman Derek Cockrell said.
The musical performances kick off on June 27 with Stone, continue on June 28 with a tribute to 1950s and '60s chart topper Bobby Vee and conclude on June 29 with a rock show featuring Warrant and special guests Steelheart.
After several years of a two-day music festival, organizers have once again expanded to a third day of tunes in order to maximize variety.
"It gives us an opportunity to offer different genres of music and so we'll have country, oldies and hard rock, so just trying to reach a wide variety of music," Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ernie Kos said.
Kos and Cockrell both said they are particularly excited for the Remembering Bobby Vee concert that will feature performances from his children's group The Killer Vees.
"Bobby Vee was somebody who was always a favorite of Clovis; he's been here several years and is part of the music history," Kos said. "It will be really special for Clovis."
For the second year the music festival will be held in conjunction with Draggin' Main. Cockrell said the festival committee had already considered expanding to a week-long event, making the partnership with Draggin' Main a perfect fit.
He said the trial run worked so well last year that the two committees have joined forces to create one committee in charge of Clovis' Draggin' Main Music Festival.
"That made a great partnership to have a week-long event including music and Draggin' Main and all these kind of things," Cockrell said.
This year the week-long festivities start on June 23 with car races at High Plains Motor Speedway.
"The whole week is about cars and rock and roll and Draggin' Main and that event is going to be the kick off for the whole week so we're really happy to partner with them," Kos said.
In lead up to Draggin' Main and the music festival, each night from June 25 to 28 there will be a tour of one of Clovis' drive-in restaurants, including Foxy Drive-In, Taco Box, Twin Cronnie Drive-In and Wienerschnitzel.
"We'll have a mini car show and music and prizes and just kind of creating the festival-like energy that will kick off the rest of the week," Kos said.
The morning of June 30 there will be a gathering of car afficionados with food, shopping and fun at Marshall Middle School's practice field before Draggin' Main takes place from 5 p.m. to midnight. That's when the community is invited to come out and cruise Main Street like many did in the 1950s, '60s and '70s.
"Make sure you have a full tank of gas," Cockrell said. "It's bumper to bumper pretty much all the way down Main."
The Rock & Roll Museum and Norman Petty Studio will also be holding tours from June 28 to June 30.
"A lot of people have never been and everybody should definitely go," Cockrell said.
Advance tickets to the musical performances go on sale May 1 and will cost $25 for the Wednesday and Thursday shows and $40-$60 for premium seats and $30 for general admission seating to Friday's show. Tickets to each event will cost $10 more at the door.
