Waitsburg Area Farm Welcomes New Type of Music Festival

"Our goal was to welcome people to a beautiful location, where they can listen to great music and experience a sense of community, " said Cheryl Hansen, owner of Stella's Homestead, the site of last weekend's Huichica festival. That goal was reached this past Friday and Saturday with the launch of this small scale family friendly festival. A dozen indie rock and folk acts performed, appearing on two stages.

The scenic location along S. Fork Coppei Road is now an event space on what was the historic Hansen wheat and cattle farm, established by Jim and Geraine Hansen in 1947.The farm once included over 14,000 acres in production; sale of the farm property took place in 2007. Hansen operates two vacation rentals on the property and was interested in finding new sources of revenue.

The Huichica experience began in Sonoma Valley, where winemaker Jeff Bundschu coordinated with music promoter (((folk)))Yeah! Productions. A sixth-generation resident of his family's vineyard in Sonoma Valley, Bundschu welcomed the first festival to his family's property as a way for people to experience a sense of community as well as the uplifting experience of the beauty of its natural surroundings. (((folk)))Yeah! Production's ties to the independent music scene allows them to carefully curate each festival, presenting "top caliber musicians who are very friendly people playing very friendly music." Bundschu noted.

Cheryl Hansen began preparing for the festival in earnest in January, tackling the family's circa 1938 barn as her first project. Hours of labor unearthed some family treasures, including hand painted combine covers, the pews from St. Mary's Catholic Church, and a set of hand-carved window shades buried beneath a pile of rubble. The hours of work transformed the barn into the intimate small stage for the festival. Family history surrounded the festival-goers, with historic signage and tools decorating the walls, and a hand-penned label for a long gone 4-H steer's pen still visible. Barn performer Marisa Anderson commented, "It's so lovely for people to share their family spaces, it's precious."

Community connections came into play to bring the festival to town, beginning with Bundschu's stint as a panelist at a Taste of Walla Walla, where he first intrigued fellow winemaker Trey Bush of Sleight of Hand Cellars with the concept. Bush reached out to Walla Walla Roastery's Thomas Reese, a Wa-Hi classmate of Hansen's, who encouraged Ms. Hansen to visualize her property as a music festival location.

Attendance at this first festival was modest, with approximately 550 music lovers coming from far away as Uganda, Milan, and Norway, and as near as Walla Walla. Plans for another event are under consideration.

The festival also welcomed local vendors La Monarca Tacos, Bright's Candy's, Andrea's Kitchen, the Maple Counter Cafe and Walla Walla Roastery. Gundlach Bundschu Winery, Vital Wines and Sleight of Hand Cellars brought a diverse portfolio of tasty wines, with Walla Walla's Quirk Brewing offering their hand-crafted beer.