'A wide range of rockers'

In the days after Friday's and Saturday's Clovis Music Festival two people who retained their exuberance about the event are organizers Robyn Snowberger and Ernie Kos.

"We had record attendance for both nights," Music Festival Committee Chair Snowberger said. "The total for both nights was 3,800 scanned tickets."

Snowberger noted the festival usually runs for three nights so with two nights this time the record attendance is for any Clovis Music Festival.

"This is only our second year in the Events Center. This could hold so much more than previous music festivals," Snowberger said.

Snowberger said the Friday scanned ticket total was 2,700 to see Uncle Kracker and The Eli Young Band. Saturday's attendance was 1,177 for Los Huracanes del Norte.

"We were able to acquire two really, really big name bands," Snowberger said.

"It's like we had two headliners," Clovis-Curry County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ernie Kos said.

Kos described sitting near a couple with their young daughter.

"It was her first concert, she was excited," Kos said.

"And there were people in their 60s and 70s who were there singing along. It was just a wide range of rockers."

Plans for the 2024 Clovis Music Festival are in the works according to Snowberger and Kos.

"It's going to be hard to beat this year," Kos said. "The pressure is on."

Snowberger said this is her first full year in chairing the festival board.

A casual conversation with some longtime friends ended up with a top name for Saturday night's festival concert.

"I called the Garcias of Los Huracanes Del Norte and they agreed to perform. It was great," Snowberger said.

Snowberger said she is working to develop more connections to develop a wide base of talent to choose from for the festival in the future.

"We have our date set for next year," Kos said. "Second week of April 2024, April 12 and 13. The Events Center is reserved."

Snowberger and Kos gave a big nod of appreciation to Events Center General Manager K. C. Messick for his past and continued help with the festival.

"We're going to have two more nights of fabulous music next year," Snowberger said. "As soon as we secure somebody we'll be shouting it from the rooftops."

Snowberger and Kos talked about the international and cross country attendees who came to the event.

"We had two sisters come in from Chihuahua in Mexico, big fans of Los Huracanes Del Norte."

"We had people come in from California," Kos said. "Tickets were sold to people in Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, all over Texas, Oklahoma, and in state from Farmington, Roswell, Carlsbad."

Snowberger wants to see more development of a new addition to the music festival, "Clovis Takes the Stage."

In the days before the big nights of the festival, local bands were performing at local venues.

"It's an opportunity for local artists and businesses to showcase music, the heart and soul of our community," Snowberger said.

Kos spoke of one of the entertainers who appeared twice during "Clovis Takes the Stage," Hunter Wainscott from Frankfort, Ind.

Kos said Wainscott came to Clovis just for the lead-up to the festival.

"He came to the museum," Kos said speaking of the Rock 'n' Roll Museum in the basement of the chamber. "He recorded at the analog studio we have there. It was like he was Buddy Holly and we were Norman Petty."