The community is invited to visit the 29th Annual Stone Soup Music Festival, Food, & Street Fair on August 24-25 in Grover Beach in Ramona Garden Park and the surrounding streets. This festival draws thousands of people each year to enjoy the free, live entertainment and wide assortment of food, art, craft, and merchandise vendor booths. Admission is free to the festival and all concerts.
Tommy Tutone is headlining this year on the main stage on Saturday, August 24, at 8 p.m. Other bands that will take the stage during the festival are Ras Danny, Petrella & Mixed Influence, Soundhouse, Unshakable Praise, Shantastics, Calo, Ray Chang 3, Judith & the Jazz Krewe, BigRock Balalaikas, Gillie Wheesels, Ballet Folklorico El Padrecito, and Mariachi Mexicanisimo. The concerts will represent a wide variety of music styles including reggae, 60s and 70s, dance music, Celtic folk, jazz, Latin, Christian music, 80s rock, country/soul, Eastern European music, and mariachi. Two stages will provide continual live music from 13 different bands during festival hours Saturday, August 24, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, August 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Mardi Paws Dog Parade is scheduled for 11:00 am on Sunday. Dog owners are encouraged to dress their canine companions for the parade. All entries will receive a participation ribbon and awards will be given for Best Dressed, Most Original, Most Colorful, and Dog/Owner Look-alike.
An expanded play area will be available for kids in Ramona Garden Park by Central Coast Party Factory. This year’s Stone Soup Kids’ Zone will bring the largest selection of inflatables to date with giant slides, bounce houses, inflatable games, mechanical interactives, obstacle course, and more.
A mobile mural opportunity will be available at Ramona Garden Park both days of the festival for community participation. The theme of the mobile mural is “What does community mean to you?”
The Rotary Club of Arroyo Grande and Mullahey Ford in Arroyo Grande are partnering in a charity raffle with a grand prize of a 2019 ruby-red Ford Escape SUV. Net proceeds will fund several local Rotary programs, scholarships, and local nonprofit organizations. The Grand Prize drawing will be at 2 pm on Sunday, August 25, at Stone Soup. The drawing will be on the main concert stage during an intermission between acts. Stone Soup attendees who have their raffle ticket stubs in hand that day will also have the chance to win auxiliary prizes which will include gift certificates for merchandise from vendors participating at the festival. Be present to see the lucky ticket that gets to drive home the new Ford Escape. Further raffle information is available at www.agrotaryraffle.org.
Festival sponsorship opportunities and vendor booths are still available. For more information, please visit southcountychambers.com, the Stone Soup Music Festival Facebook page, or call the South County Chambers of Commerce office at (805) 489-1488.