On May 16, grad student Cecil Lunsford was at his Lake Worth home, drinking beer and hanging out with friends, when he had a vision. Two weeks later, the first annual Lake Worth IT festival was born.

Lunsford and his company, Shaman Stick Productions Inc., decided to organize a one-day concert exclusively for local music.

On August 7 at Bryant Park, with 21 up-and-coming local bands scheduled to play an all-day concert, you could be witness to history in the making.

At first, he booked only 10 bands, but since Shaman Stick is responsible for putting on local concerts all across Florida, news of the concert spread widely by word of mouth. Before he knew it, his inbox was overflowing with inquiries from local acts who wanted to play.

“This isn’t just some local-yokel music festival,” he said. “It’s important to remember that the Beatles were once a local band too.”

Lunsford currently works in the philosophy department at FAU as a teaching assistant. His band, Black Weather Shaman, will join other bands that feature FAU members like The People Upstairs, Everymen and Bladesong. Headlining the event is Lake Worth native Kevin Barnes, a singer for indie band Of Montreal.

The People Upstairs are a funk-reggae band whose five members attend FAU. They were one of the first bands Lunsford came to with his plan.

“I thought [Lunsford] was crazy,” said Casey Buckley, a senior psychobiology major and lead singer for The People Upstairs. “I am really impressed with how much work he has put into this event. It’s going to be a really fun festival.”

The concert will take place on one stage, but will be broken up into two different sections. One side will feature softer contemporary music, while the other will feature more alternative and rock music.

This isn’t just a rock concert — it’s an event for the entire family. It will also feature food from Swanky’s Bar-B-Que, a bounce house for the kids, an indie craft fair with art by Lake Worth locals, and a live art expo — a painting demonstration in which local artists will create something for a live audience. There will also be free ear plugs provided at the gate for the kids or anyone who wants ear protection.

“We want this to be an event that is fun for the entire family,” said Lunsford. “But the best part is that the fun doesn’t end when the festival does.”

After the festival is over, you can head to the bars downtown along Lake Avenue, where a few bands from the festival and a plethora of bands that weren’t able to be scheduled will put on an extended show.
Entrances to all the bars are free when you show your Lake Worth IT ticket, and each place will feature four unique show sets. So if you decide to barhop, you won’t be seeing the same band twice.

“We want to show people all the musical and artistic talent that comes out of Lake Worth,” said Lunsford. “We hope people will see how talented this city really is.”

Lake Worth IT Festival

Where: Bryant Park
30 S. Golfview Road
Lake Worth, FL 33460

When: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

How much: $20 before the show and $30 at the gate. Kids between 6 and 12 get in for $5, and kids under 6 for $3.

Afterparties

Where: bars along Lake Avenue

When: 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

How much: free admission with your Lake Worth IT ticket