Floyd Americana Fest Celebrates 5th Year
-The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on October 31, 2024- Downtown Floyd was abuzz with activity during Floyd Americana Fest, an annual grassroots festival that celebrates local music, art and community.
Five stages at different downtown venues showcased a variety of local musical talent on Saturday, October 19.
Arts and craft vendors lined the park, some offering a portion of sales to Hurricane Helena relief efforts.
Attendees moved from venue to venue under sunny skies, sampling the musical offerings, shopping and socializing.
Now in its fifth year, the fest’s founder Alan Graf, a one-time Floyd resident who has relocated to Asheville NC, performed on the Lineberry Park Amphitheater stage with his band Rock While Rome Burns.
The last two festivals have been organized by “the two Jakes,” Jake Retting and Jake Rauer.
Rauer previously headed up festival vending and took on a larger role when Graff moved.
On Sunday Graf reported on Facebook that the Rock While Rome Burns band received almost $400 in donations towards Asheville’s Hurricane disaster recovery.
Musician Chris Youngblood thanked organizers on Facebook and said, “I really enjoyed playing at Phoenix Hardwoods. It has a lovely listening room atmosphere.”
Other venues that hosted performers were OuterSpace, Cocoa Mia and Hotel Floyd.
Some attendees dressed for the seasonal festivities. 
Fest goers and Farmer’s Market attendees spilled out onto the sidewalks. -Colleen Redman