Winfield's Walnut Valley Festival

Local historian Seth Bate tells the story of the Walnut Valley Festival with reflections from staff, emcees, performers, campers, and characters from throughout its history.

The Festival was launched in 1972 when a guitar maker, a farmer, and a businessman built their own music festival from the ground up. It has made the small town of Winfield into an annual destination for acoustic musicians and music lovers from around the world and it has always been participatory, with the informal campsite pickin’ as much a part of the event as the stage shows and instrumental contests. The Walnut Valley Festival has always been proud of its deep-rooted traditions, but most of all, it is a community celebration.

Seth Bate, MA, PCC, moved to Winfield, Kansas, in 1989. He fell in love with a Kansas farm girl and a local music festival, and he stayed. His interest in local history was sparked by traveling Kansas for his work at the Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute. Seth’s writing has been recognized by the Kansas Association of Historians and appeared in the Kansas Leadership Center Journal. IG: @sethinkansas.